The Protector
by sneaky-teaky
Summary: Hermione is being forced to do Harry and Ron's homework,or to help them in a very different way. Draco finds out and agrees to protect her from her friends,simply to have the ability to get them in trouble if need be, oh, and for what she can do for him. Chapters 1-12 now with more beta!
1. The Dilemma

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

**Story warnings: Rated M for language, adult content and sexual violence. **

Hermione watched her best friends slip down an old corridor. They were trying for stealth, but under the observing eye of Hogwarts' brightest pupil they were more than obvious. _It's__ a new school year, and already those boys are up to something. _She had been keeping mental notes of their suspicious behavior for the first month of school. Their speedy eating at meal times was what first tipped her off. They would arrive promptly and engage in distracted small talk, their eyes darting between each other and the rest of the Great Hall, eat as quickly as they could manage, and then swiftly retreat.

Unlike last year they didn't preen under the attentions of the school's female populace. In fact, they seemed not to notice them at all. For two teenage boys who had spent many a night in the Gryffindor common rooms discussing such trivial things as a dress some girl wore, another girl's accessory, all the way down to their beauty products; something must really be on their minds. In fact, they were hardly in the common room at all this year. At first she thought they were doing some extra quidditch practice, but when she had asked Demelza Robins, Demelza had looked highly confused. She had said that they were having quidditch practice, but not as much as they would all like. Apparently even as captain of the team Harry and Ron had missed a few practices. _Definitely up to something_.

Could they be plotting something against enemy number one? Or was it something on a much smaller scale, such as some petty revenge scheme? The fact that they had yet to come to Hermione about the situation meant a few things. First off, whatever the plan or reason, it was a stupid plan that was probably nowhere near well thought out enough. Secondly, they were going to get caught, find themselves in trouble, or even worse! After so many years of bailing them out of bad situations, how could they even begin to think that they wouldn't need her!

They didn't seem to be doing too much research for their plan; she hadn't seen them in the library at all. Either they were sneaking books at night using the invisibility cloak, or they had acquired books from elsewhere. Books that were, without doubt, un-reputable; books that would end them in disaster.

That was when she had devised her own plan. Tonight she was going to follow them, find out what they were up to, and then…well, she would respond accordingly based on the level of stupidity they were exposing.

So here she was, snooping after Harry and Ron as they slipped out of dinner. She followed them up the great stairs, through the transfiguration hall, down a side stair, and finally saw them slip behind a tapestry. The colors in the tapestry changed as it fell smooth against the hall. It went from bright, warm reds and oranges to slip into dull blues and grays. This transformation made it nearly blend into the walls of the castle, as if it were trying to divert her eyes from it. The very texture of the tapestry changed from a soft cloth material to more that of stone. That did not stop her from pulling aside the rough material, grabbing the latch and opening the door. Whatever notions she previously had about their actions instantly vanished, literally, before her eyes.

At first they didn't notice her intrusion, as they were working to remove each other's shirts. She felt as if her hands were glued to the door jam and her feet to the floor. At first she watched as Harry moved towards Ron, one hand in Ron's hair, pulling him into a kiss as his other worked on Ron's belt. Harry began to work on undoing the zipper and releasing the button when Hermione was shocked into movement. Quickly she backed into the hall, her foot scuffing on the floor, alerting them of her presence. She turned to leave, but was spun back into the room as Ron grabbed her wrist.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Ron began as Harry closed and locked the door, blocking escape. Realizing he was standing in front of her nearly naked, his underwear stressed forward from what was underneath, he blushed red, grabbing at his pants and trying to put them on. Hermione said nothing, still in shock, merely listening as he stammered on. "I mean, we aren't gay! I mean, well, Harry and I are only, we don't, we..." he trailed off, looking to Harry for help. Harry was picking up his glasses, holding them up to the light to check for smudges. Satisfied at finding none he put them on, looking Hermione in the eyes. She cut him off before Harry could start.

"I'm not sure I need to know….but how long?"

Harry sighed, not sure how to continue at first.

"You remember last summer, how I was able to visit the Burrow a week before you?" Harry waited for a moment, continuing after her nod. "Well the twins were working on a product, another of their jokes, and we were their guinea pigs…" He shook his head a bit as he took a moment to remember. Then he smiled as he said, "At this point we should have thought twice before accepting anything from those two, but well, it looked innocent enough. They told us it was the wrapper, not the contents they were testing. They made the outside of the wrapper look like a normal sweet from Honeydukes. Once you opened the wrapper and placed the candy in your mouth the wrapper was to fly out of your hand, form into a mouth to laugh at you, then fall to the table, revealing the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes logo. We thought it was genius, and that it would provide a good laugh. What they didn't tell us was that the sweet inside was to be tested as well. We're not sure what the sweet was supposed to do, they still haven't told us. Their only reactions were, 'Oh that's interesting, foul, but interesting,' and, 'who would have thought that might happen if shared? Take a note of that." Harry seemed to be finished, looking away while running a hand through his messy hair.

"That doesn't explain anything at all!" Hermione protested. "What did the sweet do, and what does it have to do with the two of you secretly snogging, or more?!"

Ron spoke again. "It's just a bit of snogging really, not much more, a bit of touching. But were you listening? We are not gay! It's all that stupid pink sweets fault! They only gave us one, and it was a bit of taffy so we thought we could split it no problem. The wrapper did its bit the moment it was in our mouths, and we thought that was it. But next thing you know Harry and I were going at each other's faces like a bunch of silly fourth years. Sure, it was foul at first. But once we got past the part where we were kissing another bloke, we realized it wasn't that bad really. And well, one thing led to the next…."

"Ron's right. We are not gay, that would mean we were attracted to each other or something like that. It's just, with everything going on, all this stress on me and all, it's easier to get _there_," Harry paused and blushed a bit himself, "you know, if it's someone else doing it for you." Hermione really didn't know what to make of all this. To say she was shocked would be putting it lightly. Harry was studying her closely. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" Harry asked.

"No, of course not, who would I tell? You guys are my best friends. And if this is what you want to do, then ok…" Harry and Ron let out a breath, and then looked to one another.

"We were going to let you know, just not like this." Ron looked down as he kicked at the edge of the area rug at his feet. "In fact, we were thinking that maybe you might want to join us…I mean, we used to kiss, and it was nice, and it would just be a bit of stress relief. With you in the middle, it definitely wouldn't be gay!" It was Harry's turn to look shocked.

"Ron, she just found out, I thought we were going to wait a while after she found out!" Hermione's shock doubled, leaving her speechless and frozen for the second time with in the span of an hour. Did they really expect her to join in on this? To release some 'stress'?! Seeing her face scrunch up with repulsion Harry tried to smooth things over. "Just give us a chance," he spoke while walking toward her, reaching out to finger her hair. She flinched at this, but he had already encircled her, holding her shoulders from behind.

"I have my books if I wish to take care of any stress I may have!"Hermione started as she tried to pull away, but he had her firmly as he wrapped one of his arms around her waist, the other holding her neck. "Harry, what has gotten into you!" Instead of finding escape, she found Ron following Harry's lead, reaching forward into her robes. "Ron, stop this silliness, I mean it!" She began to panic a bit. This was NOT how their friendship worked, or how they behaved. "Guys, you know me, I will help you with anything else, just not this!" That seemed to knock some sort of sense into them.

Harry paused. "Anything? Ok then, here is an idea. Between classes, homework, eating and quidditch practice we don't have much time for this. Now, people would notice if we missed classes or didn't turn in homework. A person has to eat and sleep. Originally we decided to take time from quidditch, but I have a new plan. You will do our homework, all of it; get us good marks without drawing attention to the fact that you are doing it for us. Or you could join us, it's your choice."

"You can't make me do either of those things!" Hermione shouted at them, trying to pull herself out of their grip, but failing.

"Oh, but I think we can. Either way no one would believe you. No one would want to believe you. Even if they knew, you think they would stop us? I am The-Boy-Who-Lived! They all think either I'll die soon, or that I will save them! You know I don't like the fame or attention, but don't think I'm above using it if I need to." He threatened, and it was all true. How many times had they broken rules, or sometimes even the law, and no one said anything as long as it led to them being closer to defeating Voldemort?

"Ok. I'll do it. I will do your homework. But when you fail your exams because you don't know anything, don't you think the professors will notice?" Hermione sighed as she gave in to this second request.

"We will cross that bridge when we get there," Ron said as the boys let her go, letting her run away down the dark hall.

AN:

This story is complete with epilogue; all new postings will be to replace original chapters with their beta'd versions. Beta'd chapters will be marked at the top.

When I first started this I wasn't sure what the end goal was, just that I wanted to vilify Ron and Harry and have Draco be the hero for a change. At some point my writing method changed and I began plotting further ahead. This story has resounded with readers in a way that I didn't expect, something I will keep with me as I write future stories.


	2. The Agreement

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

In the library Hermione feverishly worked on not only her homework, but Harry and Ron's homework as well. She was trying to make their homework believable, that it was done by them. If she were to do her best on them, they would look like replicas of hers. This might indicate to the professors that she had allowed them to copy her assignments, getting herself into trouble along with them. If they were to get into trouble because of this, well, she didn't want to think about what they would do to her. On the flip side she didn't want to dumb it down too much, to the point of offending them and receiving a different sort of anger and possible punishment from them. Her mind began to wander for a moment, wishing she hadn't fended off the friendly advances of the other girls. She had dismissed them for being dumb and shallow. In fact, she had done that to most of the Hogwarts students. Would she be in this predicament if she had befriended some of the other students? Probably not. She had begun to think about the friendships she had back at her muggle elementary school when her thoughts were interrupted by none other than Malfoy. She tried to ignore him, but that never seemed to work.

"All alone Granger?" he drawled, anticipating the good sport that mudblood heckling was. "Where are those friends of yours? You see, I can say that in plural because I know that you have at least two. After all, the crumbs of life are often friends with the dregs of the world."

"Bugger off Malfoy, I am in no mood." She managed to ground out, trying to concentrate on finishing her task.

"Alright," he said lightly, miming the retrieval of a pencil from behind his ear and a book from his robes, "would you like to make an appointment for next Tuesday then? I am free at lunch and possibly after dinner. An actual dinner session will not work, seeing how I am already booked." He looked at her with both eyebrows raised, as if her were actually eagerly waiting for her to make a selection. When she didn't make any sort of reply he scoffed and began looking for something else in which to bother her with. He was rather bored. And that was when he spotted that the paper she was currently working on did not have her name at the top, and that she was making an effort to disguise her handwriting. Noticing him staring at the paper like a child on Christmas morning, she shifted nervously, trying to conceal the papers underneath the rest of her work. Still, it didn't do much in the way of stopping him as he swiftly snatched the papers up. Hermione looked down, her mind running through all the awful scenarios that could happen next. He could tell the professors, they might believe him. But that wouldn't save her from those who she thought were her friends. Or he could blackmail her into doing some other task. Or, or, or… the possibilities were endless. And then came the taunting.

"You are doing Potter and Weasley's homework! That is rich! I knew they were hopelessly dumb, but for you to pity them enough to do their homework? What would the professors say if they knew their perfect little princess was breaking the rules! They would…" he trailed off, realizing a few things. One, she had started crying before he had even said anything, and two, there must be more to this story, something better. Maybe he was simply nosey, or maybe his nose smelled an opportunity; either way, he sat down. He wasn't sure how to proceed next. Should he try and comfort her, and let the information come to him? No, not in the middle of the library, plus she might ruin his shirt. Should he try and intimidate her? Again, not in the library, too many people could take notice. Besides, that wouldn't win him any information in this case. While trying to figure this out, she finally spoke up.

"I don't care what the professors think, that is not as bad as the alternative. I don't know why you wouldn't, but please don't tell them." She said in a small voice. That's when it all fell into place for him.

"You're being blackmailed? By your friends? What could they possibly have on you? Little miss perfect?" The idea was absurd. Weren't friends supposed to help guard each other's secrets? Not exploit them? One might say that they were being very Slytherin, but that was far off base. Slytherins were actually very loyal to their own, and to betray them was a high offense.

"Not blackmailed, threatened," She answered. She wasn't sure why she was telling Malfoy. Maybe it was because she was tired and scared, but maybe she knew he was one of the few people who would be willing to believe that the golden boys were not so golden. So she told him, and he listened. She told him how she had thought that Harry and Ron were up to something, and she would have to find out what it was to help them out when they got in over their heads. She told them how she had tracked them down to a hidden room behind the tapestry. She told them how…how she found them. That was when the story became harder to tell, and details became less and less. She told him how they …invited... her to join, and how they had reacted when she had refused. She told him how she had to pretend everything was fine and normal, even though it was the farthest from the truth. When she was finished she took a shuddering breath, and for the first time since she began her monologue she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "Do you believe me?" She asked in a tone that suggested the world pendulum pivoted on this singular notion of him believing her story.

"I do," he replied with a sense of shock and sincerity, "I believe you. What more is I want to help you." Her eyes widened at this, her heart filling with first hope, then suspicion.

Her eyes narrow and her words sharp, she demanded "Why would _you _help_ me_?" She wanted to know. She kept her heart guarded as she waited for his answer. He waited a moment as he calculated his answer. People should really think out what they have to say before they do if they are given the chance. After all, once spoken one could not retrieve the words. Unless, of course, you were to obliviate them.

"Simply because I can," he began, "but more complexly, there are a variety of reasons . For starters, I hate them more than I have an… aversion to your lineage. Furthermore, this is additional proof as to why I have good reason to harbor an extreme hatred for them. Any excuse for the professors as to why I was in a fight with them is good to have. History aside, what they are doing is deplorable in a multitude of ways. And lastly," he says with hesitation, "you have…something I…need." At the last word her heart stopped, one of her prior suspicions confirmed. _He is going to use this against me; to make me_…her thoughts began once again to go wild, seemingly unable to be stopped. That is, until she heard what he had to say next.

"I need help with my muggle studies homework." He said in a quiet voice, as if even uttering it might trigger an avalanche of books to fall off the mountainous shelves.

It was her turn to begin with shock, her voice laced with mirth as she cackled out, "You are taking Muggle Studies?! Why would the great Draco Malfoy stoop to such an awful class?" Hermione ended with much sarcasm, and for a moment forgot why they were even having this conversation. When she looked at his face, she could see he was making a conscious effort to retain his retaliation and she immediately sobered once again. "Of course, I will help you. Helping someone understand an assignment is much easier and very different than forcing one to do them for you. The difficult part of our contract remains, how will you help me?"

Malfoy began to work on a plan. "I could help you write their homework, that way you won't have to do as much. The time you save will be used to help me, so I know it's not much, but it's a start. This will give you time to try and convince your friends," he said this word with a sneer, "that they should do their own work. If that doesn't work we will try something different. I know this isn't the best plan, but now you aren't in it alone." With that said Hermione started crying again. _Why is she crying again? What did I say?_ He thought for a moment, trying to figure out why she was crying.

"You don't know what this means to me, I mean this is so bizarre and backwards. Normally you are the one to make me cry and my friends are the ones who are there to make me feel better, and here you are helping me because of them!" This was indeed strange, he thought. After all, when he had walked over here his intent was to upset her. And now he was helping her? What's next, campaigning for house elves? No, this was simply an opportunity of the moment. He would help her, possibly get those wonder boys into trouble, and pass muggle studies! On top of that, tomorrow was tater-tot Tuesday!

"Before we get too chummy," Malfoy's signature drawl had her holding her breath, not sure what he was about to say next. "We cannot meet here in this library." He grabbed a piece of paper and began to scribble on it. "Here is a map to the lower library, it has several private study rooms connected to it."

"Lower library? Why have I never heard of this library? And surely it cannot have all the books that we will need! Now I know you are making this up!" If anything could be said about Hermione Granger, it was that she had read _Hogwarts: A History_ more than a dozen times, and knew all there was to know about the books and library at the school.

"I assure you that I am certainly not making this up! Plus, every book we could want from this library can be sent there upon request." Seeing that she wasn't convinced he tried again. "You think we would advertize it? Think about it, how often do you see any Slytherins in this library? Yet how many of us have more than exemplary marks?" Malfoy paused for a moment to let the information sink in. "Rowena wasn't the only founder that wanted her house to be known for its knowledge. Salazar wanted his house to be known for its smarts as well. Being the ambitious and resourceful wizard he was he made sure to make a library special for his house in the lower levels. That way we could study without as many interruptions, as well as having the element of surprise on our side. You are surprised aren't you?" He said with a smug smile on his face.

"Honestly yes," Hermione said while scrunching her nose, displeased that there was in fact still many things she had yet to learn about Hogwarts and its residents.

"Just because you don't see a herd of Slytherins in here you assume we don't care to study, therefore couldn't be anywhere near as smart as you! Ha!" Hermione was starting to feel more at ease. Malfoy bragging about something or another was normal. The feeling didn't last long. Malfoy sobered, his face morphing once again into this Malfoy she didn't rightly know. A Malfoy that seemed to not only care about people, but included her in that spectrum.

"The dungeons hold many secrets, and it shall stay that way. You are not to share the library with others if you know what's good for you. You should definitely not go without me or without another member of my house, although I doubt anyone else would take you there with the connotation of goodwill." He grabbed a scrap of paper from her stack, drawing what seemed to be a map of the dungeons. After he finished drawing the map he handed it to her and said, "Esoteric ex Libris, that's the password. I will expect to meet you there after dinner." And with that he actually pulled a small notebook from his breast pocket and entered the information using a small charcoal pencil. "If you do get there before I do, enter quickly and take the third study room on the right; however I do not plan for that to happen." He had already spent too much time talking to her and it was time to leave, so with that he walked away. As Hermione watched him go, she was left with a large amount of confusion as well as gratitude.


	3. The Observation

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

That night Draco lay on his bed staring at the ceiling for hours without sleep. He was contemplating many things, keeping sleep a bit beyond his reach. _Potter and Weasel are sick! I thought they were disgusting before, but this is a new low… now how can I use this information….I don't want to play this card too soon, no, who knows when it might come in handy to have this over them. They definitely wouldn't want the school to find this out! Hhmm…I guess I have a new reason to not let either one of those wankers get behind me… _This last thought was accompanied by a shudder. He continued to let his mind wander over this new development. _Granger wouldn't be too bad if she wasn't a mudblood. Spends too much time with books though… well I don't see books helping her out now! __She's__ lucky I was bored today, I __definitely__ wouldn't have agreed to help her if it weren't for this stupid Muggle Studies! I don't understand why Father would think taking Muggle Studies would improve our public image. He wouldn't grow a mustache if it would help his public image! ….I wonder what he would look like with a mustache…._

He leaned off the bed, reaching into the nightstand's drawer and taking out a family photo. His mother smiled warmly at him as he tried to edge out of the center of the photo. His Father was standing to the left of them, his face passive with an underlying hardness. _How tough can he look with a mustache!_ With that thought Draco began to draw a large curly handle bar mustache on his father. The photo scowled but the mustache held. _He looks like one of those old time western villains!_ He decided to add a black cowboy hat for good measure. Draco replaced the photo, satisfied with how silly his father looked with a mustache and cowboy hat. He looked as silly as Draco felt sitting in stupid Muggle Studies. He rolled back to his original spot in bed, trying again to fall into sleep. His mind continued to churn until he fell asleep, dreaming strange dreams of his father being a western villain, and Draco was the sheriff who saved the day, all the ladies loved him….

oOo

In the morning when he woke up and reflected on what happened yesterday, he at first thought it was all part of his strange dream. However, once he arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast he decided it was most certainly not a dream. Watching the Gryffindor table from across the room he noted upon many things. One of which was that when Granger had entered she had dropped her books and papers. Potter and Weasley, being the good friends they were, instantly helped her pick them up. If he hadn't known what he had learned last night he wouldn't have suspected a thing. But, if his eyes were telling him the truth, he had seen each boy take a small portion of the papers each, the very papers he saw her working on the night before. She gave them a smile, thanked them for helping her, and took her place at the table. He had seen that same smile before; his mother used that smile when his father made decisions for her.

He continued to watch them as they headed down the halls to their double charms class. To anyone else it would look like a group of close friends walking together, laughing and sharing secrets. Draco knew better now. He recognized that while at one time that is exactly what they were, it was all a sham now. Bile threatened to overcome his throat at the thought of those two boys and their actions, _disgusting!_ For once he wished he shared more classes with those Gryffindors, so that he may watch longer, but the only class they shared on Tuesdays was Care of Magical Creatures after lunch.

He had followed behind them until the split where he headed off to his Double Transfiguration class._ Great, even without sharing a class with those Gryffindors, it __still won't__ be a Gryffindor free morning!_ Once in the class he spent half his time taking notes and listening, and the other half wondering what was going on in the Charms classroom. _Why am I even bothering to worry? There are other students __there__ as well as Professor Flitwick! She will be ok; however I won't be if I don't pay attention to McGonagall!_

Time seemed to drag on forever; the only thing keeping him awake was the promise of the break period after class. Today Slytherin was going to the quidditch fields to practice, but he wouldn't be going anywhere if he was caught taking a snooze during class! It was going to be a quick practice, but they were going to cram in as much as they could before quidditch started up in November. As soon as the class was dismissed he raced off towards the field. Gryffindor was not going to win this year!

oOo

Lunch finally came with the promised tater-tots. He didn't know why he enjoyed them so much, but he did. Normally he would build a pyramid with them and topple them over, but today he speared them with his fork, watching the Gryffindor table from across the room. Potter and Weasley had their backs to him and were sitting entirely too close as they ate, elbows bumping occasionally. Granger sat across from them, allowing Draco to study her emotions. As he studied them he could see Granger's discomfort and wondered why none of the other Gryffindors took notice of this. When others talked to her, Granger never looked them in the eye, always looking slightly to the left or right of their faces.

"No pyramids today?" Blaise interrupted his reverie, bringing his mind back to focus on his own table. "You finally figured out the proper way to eat them, or is something bothering you?" Blaise looked in the direction Draco had previously been looking. "Gryffindors? What have they done today to earn your glare?"

"Potter and Weasley disgust me." Draco said by way of reply. Draco looked to his plate to see if there were enough tater-tots left to build with. There wasn't, but there was enough to make a face out of. He began arranging them into a frown as Blaise decided to comment again.

"Yes, I find they disgust me too, filthy blood traitors and the like, associating with mudbloods! But how is this different than any other day? It has never interfered with your childish obsession with these potato products." Blaise poked at the pile of potatoes on his plate as he said this. Blaise did not share Draco's enthusiasm for tater-tot Tuesday. He felt they were too close to being a muggle food, and insisted on smashing them up into a hash, mixing in bits of ham and cheese as he did so. Draco thought for a moment about letting Blaise in on what he knew, but decided against it. This was Draco's ace in the hole, if he handed it off to Blaise it might be played before Draco was ready. No, he would wait. But what could he say to throw Blaise off the scent. _He does stare __at__ the She-Weasel a lot, maybe this will hit home for him._

"I hear the She-Weasel decided she was chasing for the other team, if you know what I mean." He wasn't sure if he expected it to work, but Blaise's eyes darted farther down the Gryffindor table to where the younger Weasley was seated. It could have been by chance, but she was staring dreamily to where Potter and Granger sat. Most probably she was actually staring at Potter; everyone knew she had a crush on him. _If Potter was so keen to be with a Weasley, why not go after the female one that was obviously smitten with him?_ Either way, the fact that Draco was analyzing Potter's love life disgusted him further.

"No, that can't be true, she fancies Potter, and everyone knows that. Nice try. Even if it were true, why that would put you in such a foul mood; you fancy her?" The tone that accompanied that sentence was calm, but Draco knew there was an underlying menace in there.

"No, not at all. You know I don't care for red heads or flat little girls, of which she just happens to be both." Draco was baiting Blaise, shifting the focus from himself to Blaise. This was enough to get Blaise to stop questioning him, allowing Draco to go back to observing the Gryffindor table. Draco stabbed another tater-tot as he watched them. He saw Granger was already done with her meal and was beginning to leave as lunch was almost over. Abandoning the rest of the tater-tots on his plate, Draco slipped out after her. Their next class was Care of Magical Creatures, one that Gryffindor and Slytherin shared. Draco really thought he would never see the day that he'd look forward to Care of Magical Creatures, with Hagrid and the Gryffindors!

He had followed behind her from a distance, with other students between them. Soon the whole class was there waiting. They waited for a while until they heard a noise coming from behind Hagrid's hut. Alarmed the class made their way around the hut to find Hagrid following behind his bloodhound. _What is the beast's name? As long as he doesn't try to eat me this time I don't care_! Potter was the first to speak up.

"Hagrid, have you lost something?" Hagrid dropped the tarp he was looking under and stared at the class for a minute. _Of course he has lost something Potter! He lost his ruddy mind a long time ago!_ Draco gave a silent smile to his thoughts. _If only he could manage to lose his job as well_! Potter tried repeating his question adding, "Would you like us to help you?" Draco really hoped by 'we' Potter only meant the Gryffindors. You never know what monster Hagrid might have about, and Draco was certainly not going to look about for one.

"Actually, yeah, you coul' all 'elp me! It was to be a surprise fer class today, but I seem to have misplaced it! Everyone split up an' look about, and holler if you see anything!" And with that Hagrid went back to looking. The class was very hesitant; no one had moved to help look. When Hagrid noticed this he turned back to the class and asked, "Well, what you all be waitin' fer?"

"We don't know what we are looking for," Weasley stated. "We might as well be looking for something that is invisible!"

Hagrid blushed at first, realizing his mistake, but then shouted cheerfully, "That's exactly it! We are looking for a diricawl!" Feeling satisfied with his explanation Hagrid and the bloodhound moved on to search around the corral. Having enough of this nonsense Draco decided to interject.

"Has he lost it or what? I still have no idea what we are looking for!" Several Slytherins snickered at this, and begrudgingly a few Gryffindors agreed.

"A diricawl is a plump flightless bird that has the ability to turn itself invisible." Granger, ever the know-it-all, stated. Many sighed and groaned as they realized how long this class was going to be today, while others still looked confused. As if sensing what they were about to say Granger continued. "Known to muggles as the dodo bird, a diricawl can vanish into a burst of feathers. Their ability is why the muggles assume they are extinct. The Ministry hasn't felt the need to correct them seeing how it heightened awareness with how the muggles treated animals." Realizing she was rambling a bit, Granger finally brought home her point. "We should be looking for its feathers. When they vanish, a lot of their feathers get left behind."

Now that they had an objective the students broke into pairs and began searching. Draco noticed Potter and Weasley pair off and disappear into the trees for a bit. Draco didn't have to follow them to know they were not looking for dodo birds. Draco stood there for a bit, trying to decide if he was actually going to help or not. As he was thinking about it, he wondered, _what would I do if I actually found one of those stupid birds?_ _If only I had a cage…_ So with that he decided to look for a cage first. It seemed that he wasn't the only one with that idea as he found himself approaching a stack of cages the same time Granger did. _These must have been the cages that Hagrid had the diricawl in originally, there are feathers everywhere here!_ Granger attempted to grab one off the top; they must have been made from a heavy metal because it seemed like she was having difficulties. Draco silently walked forward and tried to help her get a cage down. He went to lift the cage and his previous thought was confirmed, it seemed to be impossibly heavy. As he continued to lift it, the weight shifted, and Draco almost lost his balance. Draco looked up and his eyes met with Granger's as they came to the realization at the same time.

"They have been in their cages the whole time!" Granger exclaimed with a small gasp as Draco cursed that giant oaf for assuming that an animal that could disappear was missing simply by glancing at their cages! Granger then called Hagrid over, explaining to him that his diricawl were indeed never missing. Once again he blushed then profusely apologized to the class for wasting their time. They spent the rest of their class time observing the seemingly empty cages, trying to catch a glance of the dodo bird. As the class wasn't nearly quiet enough, the birds remained invisible until it was time for Gryffindor to leave for their Herbology lesson. It was probably a good thing Granger had discovered the location of the diricawl. If Draco had been alone he might have kicked back and watched the wild dodo chase.

Now that all the interesting parts of his day were over, Draco looked forward to only three more things: Dinner being the nearest, sleep being the farthest, and his meeting with Granger, which could prove to be the most interesting part of his day. Until then, he would have to suffer through one more class, and he could hardly wait.


	4. The Assignments

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

The day was almost over for Hermione as she headed towards dinner. She had passed the completed homework assignments to Harry and Ron during breakfast. They were sure to get all A's and possibly even an E. She really hoped that she hadn't made it too obvious that the boys hadn't written them. They had walked almost uncomfortably close in between classes, but completely disappeared during their breaks. Hermione had spent her breaks completing her day's worth of homework, knowing that the evening would be spent working on theirs.

Hermione wished she could say that what had happened in Hagrid's class earlier was unusual, but something was always amiss in Hagrid's lessons. She really did appreciate the practical side of any class, but really did wish there was more to the written half of this one. What was unusual about today's lesson was that Malfoy actually participated for once, and Harry and Ron never returned from searching. They should know they would never find a diricawl in each other's pants; maybe a dodo brain in their skull, but that would be it!

Once again she felt a set of eyes on her. She had felt them during the whole of lunch, and it seemed whoever was watching her was determined to continue during dinner. She had a suspicion that she knew exactly who it was, but whenever she looked over to the Slytherin table, her prime suspect was always conversing with Zabini. Their conversation was hard to read, it looked neither unpleasant nor friendly. Down their table a ways Parkinson watched the two Slytherins with a small glare.

The meal itself went by in a very uneventful fashion until it was time to go. Harry and Ron left quickly, as they have tended to do through this school year, giving her one last glance before they exited. She had yet to have a proper conversation with them since the incident. Everything felt so strange to her, what would she even say? They made it clear to her what they would do if she refused to do their homework, and she was convinced they were right about the teachers. Sure, being saved from you-know-who is a big thing, but at what cost?

She excused herself from the table, collecting her things so she could make her way to this secret library. She glanced at the map as she made her way through the halls. The words 'Esoteric ex Libris' were scrawled near the bottom in Malfoy's small and tidy handwriting. Hermione had looked up the password during her one of her breaks. The first part, esoteric, was another word for secret. The second half was a Latin phrase which meant literally "from the books". Put together it probably meant anywhere from "Secret from the books" to "From the book of secrets". Either way it was an interesting concept.

The map led her to the entrance of the dungeons, and followed the path towards the Potions classrooms. However, instead of continuing straight, the map led her left towards the lake and presumably the Slytherin Common rooms. She followed along the route indicated to her without running into anyone; they were all still finishing up their dinners. The hall continued on before her, but the map told her she had come to her destination. The part of the hall where she'd come to a stop had a tall book shelf on one side and an ornate mirror on the other. She turned to the books and began inspecting them.

She truly hoped this isn't what Malfoy regarded as a library. All the books were first year level texts or wizard fiction. Starting with those at eye level she scanned the titles, trying to figure out how the password was used to gain entrance. In all the other password guarded rooms she had been in there had always been some entity in which to give the password to, like the Gryffindors had the Fat Lady. None of the illustrations on the covers of the fiction gave any sign that they heard or understood her as she repeated the password over and over. Trying a different tactic she began arranging the tomes by their titles to try and spell out the password, but found she didn't have all the required letters. Hermione tried this again, only this time by authors, but gained the same results: nothing.

Frustrated Hermione turned to the mirror on the opposite side of the hallway. She looked tired, her hair sticking up a bit higher on one side, and there was a darkness around her brown eyes. That was the sad thing about mirrors on a day like this, they always told the truth, and one could not hide a secret from a mirror. The frame was brushed silver, with snakes and salmon swimming about it. The snakes were chasing after the salmon, and the salmon were evading the snakes with ease. That seemed very suitable as the salmon were a symbol for knowledge, among other things. The snakes, or serpents, could also symbolize many things, but she assumed that in this place it was alluding to Slytherin_. The truth….knowledge…you could not hide a secret from a mirror…oh! _This time when Hermione looked her reflection in the eye, her reflection smiled separately from her and asked, "Password please?"

"Esoteric ex Libris," Hermione replied with confidence, pleased that she had figured out the solution to another of Hogwarts' riddles. She had expected the mirror to swing open and lead her into this secret Slytherin library, but nothing happened. Puzzled, Hermione looked about to see if anything had changed. Turning back to the mirror she finally noticed something had changed! When she looked behind her, the book case was exactly as it was when she first saw it, however, when viewed from the mirror she saw that the book case had moved aside, leaving an opening to a short hallway behind it. She kept her eyes on the mirror as she walked backwards through the hole in the wall. Satisfied that she was completely in, she turned and reached for the door, only to hear laughter behind her in the main hall.

"You do know you didn't have to walk through backwards, don't you?" Malfoy's voice carried into the small hall, and he followed shortly after. As he came into view, smile still on his face, Hermione realized that this might be the first time that he had laughed at her without any trace of malice. She studied his face, seeing how his smile reached all the way to his grey eyes. Her observations were interrupted when he said, "Well, as much as you might want to stare at me all evening, we have some work to do." He walked past her, missing her blush, leading her into the lower library.

The lower library was not at all what she was expecting in many ways. Hermione thought they would walk into some grand cavern system, with book shelves carved into the rocky walls. She expected it to be cold and damp like the rest of the dungeons. This was not at all the case. While the lighting did share a tinge of green like the rest of the dungeons, it was much brighter in here. The ceiling was low with small round lights set into it. The room was longer than it was wide, with several rows of short book shelves running across the middle. She could see over top of them to the far end where there was a small sitting area in front of a fireplace. The floors were a light grey flagstone surrounded by a dark grey mortar, sporadically pierced with dark green stones. The walls of the room were lined with book shelves, periodically punctured with doors to the private study rooms.

A few steps away from the door there was a table with a book on it and a unit with many small drawers. Immediately to her right was a coat rack and to the left a small empty shelf with a sign that read in large print, "LEAVE ALL FOOD AND DRINK AT THE DOOR," and under that in smaller print it gave another message, "If you are muddy or wet, leave and return again when you are suitable to be in a library!"

"What an odd sign," Hermione commented.

"Salazar may not have respected all people, but books he more than respected; in fact, he prized books above many people." Malfoy said as he hung up his cloak and checked his shoes. Satisfied they were clean he continued into the room towards the study rooms on the right.

"What's that?" Hermione asked as he passed the table holding the book and drawers unit.

"That is the book register. It lists all the books in the main library; the book on the table is the request form. Once you find a book in the register you need, you simply write the information from the card, your name, and which study room you wish for it to be in and the books will be sent there. If all the study rooms are full you can ask for it to either be saved for you at the main library or sent to this reference desk. Is there any book you might need?" He said this all in a matter-of-fact manner, pausing by the reference desk and waiting for her response. Hermione almost said no when she remembered something.

"Yes, tomorrow they have Divination, and as I don't take that class anymore I need the text for it in order to complete the assignment." Wednesdays were the one day that her class schedule differed from most Gryffindors. She had decided to opt out of Divination, a class she considered a waste of time and resources, taking Arithmancy in its place. She stepped forward, eager to use the reference desk, only to be stopped by Malfoy's voice.

"Oh, you won't be needing to use the desk for that. All current class text books are kept on this first shelf for convenience. If a student were to forget their class text, they would have to leave the library and run to their dorm room then run back; that is a lot of unnecessary risk of exposing the lower library." He walked to the shelf and scanned the titles for a minute, pulling out a copy of _Unfogging the Future by Cassandra Vablatsky_. "I believe they use this same text for all of the class years." Next he pulled out a copy of _The Dream Oracle__ by Inigo Imago_. "I am pretty sure they use this as well." With those in hand he passed five of the seven short rows of shelves in the middle of the room before entering the study room he had mentioned to her before.

She followed him into the small room. Once again, the light was brighter, only this time it didn't hold that green tinge. To the right of the door there was a sturdy wooden table with four chairs around it. To the left was a wall with a clock on it. On the far wall of the room there was, surprisingly, a window. Surrounded by light green drapery, the window showed an impossible view of the quidditch pitch. To the left of the window two winged back chairs were squashed into the corner. A love seat was crammed into the opposing corner. Unlike the sitting area in the main area of the lower library where the furnishings were covered with dark green leather, the furniture in here was upholstered in a light plush green fabric. There was even a matching green area rug coving the flagstone that had continued from the library. There was no fire in here, but the temperature of the study room felt the same as the room before it.

Malfoy walked to the table and took the far seat, from where he could see both the door and window. Not wanting to make things any more awkward than they were, Hermione chose the seat across from him, putting the door at her back. For the first minute or so she watched out the window. The sun had begun its slow decent, giving an amber color to the figures flying over the pitch as well as the room.

Deciding she had to know, Hermione finally asked, "How is this possible? There is no way for us to have this sort of view from underground!"

Malfoy chucked at her then responded. "Are you a witch or not? This window is charmed to mimic other windows of the castle. Without the charm you would actually be looking face to face with some of the creatures in the lake. Since I use this particular study room regularly I leave it on my favorite." A pang of sadness punctured her fascination. _Are you a witch or not!_ Back in their first year Ron had said something very similar to her. Now she was hearing those words from Malfoy due to Ron's actions. "So, how are we going to split the work? Will I be taking one and you another? Or will we be doing this by class?" Malfoy's question brought her back to the task at hand.

"Well tomorrow they have Divination first thing, followed by Transfiguration. After lunch we have Herbology then-" Hermione began listing off their classes when Malfoy interrupted.

"Care of Magical Creatures with yours truly."

"Yes, and finally Astronomy in the evening." She ended. They paused for a moment to think about how to split the classes. "Well, since we share Care of Magical Creatures, we could split that one. No reason to write the same paper more than twice." Malfoy's eyes darkened a bit on that comment. His eyes were so intense she had to look away.

"I can take on the Divination work, seeing how I have taken more Divination classes than you. Would you mind taking the Herbology? I haven't had too much success with plants." He offered seeing her discomfort.

"Thank you, that would be great. All that leaves is Transfiguration and Astronomy. I have always had a knack for Transfiguration, which would leave you with Astronomy. Are you alright with that?" Hermione was hesitant at the end, not wanting to push too much work on him. She was still unsure why he was really helping her in the first place.

"That's fine with me. Well, I suppose we better get started" Malfoy reached for the books the same time she did, their hands froze in the air for a moment before Malfoy grabbed the pile, offering her the portion she needed. With a silent thanks they settled in to do Harry and Ron's assignments that were due tomorrow.

By the time Hermione was done with her part the sun had set outside and the stars were peeking out above the empty pitch. She started packing up when she felt a yawn coming on. Giving into the yawn she stretched for a moment then rubbed her eyes. If it wasn't for Malfoy she would still have many hours in front of her, not to mention the nightmare that Divination would have been to wade through. She looked up to see Malfoy was still working on something. The first thing she noticed was the small rectangular glasses that sat on his face_. Since when does Malfoy wear glasses? Then again, since when does a Malfoy willingly help a mudblood?_ She continued to stare at him, thinking if she looked hard enough she might find the answers.

Without looking up Malfoy startled her by saying, "Granger, if you have a staring problem I suggest you let Madam Pomfrey take a look at your head." He sighed then took his glasses off with one hand and ran his other hand through his hair. It was loose, and looked soft, no longer plastered to his head like a yellow helmet. In fact, it was nice. Just nice, nothing more.

"You have glasses?" Hermione asked as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Yes, we found out that I was farsighted back in second year. I always had trouble with reading before, but my parents though I was just being lazy." He let the glasses rest on the table as he looked towards her. "It is only slight, but when I need to get a lot done I get a headache if I don't wear these."

"Then why don't you ever wear them in class?" Hermione couldn't think of any reason not to wear ones glasses if they were needed.

"And look like that dork Potter? No thanks." Oh_, that is a real reasonable excuse!_ Hermione thought as she scoffed.

"Then how do you see to take your notes?" At this question Malfoy screwed up his eyes a bit, into his usual glare… "Wait, you mean this whole time everyone has thought that you are forever in a bad mood during class, but the truth is that you are too arrogant to wear your glasses! That's rich!"

"No, I'm rich, and I can do as I please. If I choose my looks over accurate notes, that is my prerogative. My marks really aren't affected by it really, I just come down here and study alone, catch up, and no one has to know." He spoke lightly at first, then looked her straight in the eye and lowered his tone a notch. "Am I right? No one has to know."

"Right, no one has to know. I still feel that this is entirely ridiculous, but sure. I'll keep both your library and failing eyesight a secret. Now what type of Muggle Studies homework do you have?" Hermione was keen to move on to a safer topic; lately she had been collecting more secrets than she would like. _Like the fact that Malfoy looks cute with glasses…Gah! That thought never happened._

"Well first I am going to return these extra books, and maybe you will be done blushing by the time I get back." Malfoy left the small study room with a smirk on his face. Hermione stood; she needed to stretch and clear her mind is all. She walked over to the window to study it a little closer. When she closed her eyes she could hear the swish of water moving. This was almost instantly calming. However when she opened her eyes she saw wind blowing through the trees near the quidditch pitch, and her mind told her that the sound she was hearing was that wind. She continued to stare out the window, hoping her confusion could be blown away by the wind, as the leaves were blown from the trees. Before she knew it, Malfoy had returned. It hadn't taken Malfoy long to replace the books they were using with the ones he thought he might need for his own assignment. Turning away from the window, Hermione returned to her original seat, ready to repay Malfoy for helping her.

"Right now we are going over our muggle disguises, the part about convincing accessories. I must say, I am very confused. Professor Burbage tells us that the muggles wear charms on their wrists. How do they get them? Muggles don't know how to create a charm! They don't even know about magic! Then there is the strange part where muggles and their friends wear tags like dogs to show who they are friends with. Why can't they just say they are friends and be done with it? Muggles are so confusing." Hermione laughed, it was always strange hearing things that were so common to her described as if it were something from an alien space ship!

"Charm bracelets don't really have anything to do with charms! Well, they don't to muggles anyway. A long time ago they really believed that the charms on their bracelets really did do something to protect them, and that is most likely from some sort of wizard influence. Now they are just part of the current fashion trends." Draco was busy taking notes are she spoke, and he paused when she stopped, giving it a moment to sink in.

"So if it is just a fashion thing, why so many types of charms? I thought fashion was everybody trying to be the same_…" He really does look cute with glasses on, and with that look he looks like a lost puppy._ Hermione smiled and shook her head.

"Fashion is kind of hard to explain. Many people see it differently. The way I understand it is that everyone is trying to look unique and different, while at the same time trying to fit in and look the same. The charms on the bracelet could be there for a number of reasons. A charm could be there to mark an important event or person in their life, or just because it looks pretty."

He jotted down a few more notes before asking, "So it could be a person, like the friendship tags?" he looked at her with genuine curiosity.

"You mean friendship bracelets? Well I suppose a person could add one as a charm, but often a friendship bracelet is something separate that one friend gives to another to symbolize their friendship. It doesn't have to be a bracelet; it could be any matching form of jewelry. An old Central American tradition is that the friendship bracelet, or item, is not to be removed until it naturally falls off, to take it off before that would symbolize that the friendship had gone bad." Once again Malfoy took a moment to think about what she had said.

"So you just leave them on? For all the friends you have? You aren't wearing any bracelet; does that mean you don't have any muggle friends? Or are you allowed to take it off when they aren't around?" The last question felt like he was poking her in the heart, like literally poking the muscle that was her heart.

"No, you don't take it off just because they aren't there. If your feelings stay the same, then the symbol theoretically should stay as well. And no, I don't have any muggle friends." His face softened for a moment, and before he could ask she continued with, "I just don't fit in; I don't fit in either world I belong to. In the muggle world I am odd, only around during the summers and constantly trying to keep up with my summer homework. In the wizard world I'm an outsider from the muggle world, not fit for this place, a mudblood." Her voice got lower and lower as she spoke until the last became a whisper.

"Oh." That's all he said, but that one soft syllable was enough to raise her ire.

"Oh? Oh! Is that all you have to say is 'oh'?! Ever since I came to this place you were captain of the 'WE HATE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE A FILTHY MUDBLOOD' team! And when I let you know how awful that has made me feel over these past years all you have to say for yourself is oh?! You really have no idea how your actions impact others! You have no idea what it's like on my side of the fence!" Her voice became louder and louder, her tone high and shrill, and at some point she had stood up.

"Granger, get a hold of yourself! We may be in a private study room, but we are still in a library! While the library doesn't have Madame Prince guarding its doors, this is the library has its own protections in place, and if you do not calm down immediately you will activate them!" This seemed to do the trick as she stopped yelling, but her eyes were still seething with an eerie level of what must be years of pent up rage. "I will not pretend to know how you feel, but you also have no idea what it is like in my shoes. You have the courage to at least be yourself, while I do not." They stood there in silence for a moment. When Hermione decided that he was not going to explain any further at this moment, she realized how awkward this silence was compared to all the previous moments they had earlier.

They had worked comfortably in silence for the past few hours; she wasn't constantly being interrupted by him to explain things or to give him an answer. Then when she was helping him he listened carefully, actually thinking about what she said, not just telling her to get to the point or to only say what was needed for the paper. She realized she didn't even know what his paper was about! Shame flooded through her almost instantly. Here he was for whatever reason trying to help her, and she goes off on him just because he mentioned friends!

"Malfoy, I'm sorry, I'm just, I'm so sorry…." Embarrassment piled up on top of her shame. There she was, the brave Gryffindor, crying for the second time that week in front of Draco Malfoy! He looked conflicted for a moment, then walked to her, steering her to the small sofa. She sat down with a plop, her hands covering her face. She sobbed noisily for a while when she felt a shift in the seat next to her. She took a minute to breathe and to try and calm herself before she looked to see Malfoy handing her a handkerchief. "Thank you," she mumbled as she tried to straighten herself up.

"Well, I have decided," Malfoy stated as if it were the answer to everything.

"Decided what?" Hermione replied, confused and still sniffling a bit.

"I have decided that neither bracelet belongs in my disguise portfolio. I thought they were strange, but when Professor Burbage talked about them in class before asking us to add an accessory to our portfolio, I assumed she meant for us to pick one of the two. But both of them sound girly." Hermione laughed, the image of Malfoy's muggle portfolio full of 'girly' muggle items was too much.

"Well you could wear the friendship bracelet," Hermione ventured. "They aren't exclusive to girls."

"And be stuck with a muggle teen accessory forever? No thanks. I need something that says 'I'm a man and I don't have time for you!' not, 'Look, I'm a hoppy and I want to be friends with everyone!' My portfolio is to get in and out of the muggle world without notice, not to stay and throw a party with them!" He sighed with exasperation, slumping back into the plush sofa.

"It's a called a hippy not a hoppy." Hermione pointed out, and then thought a moment. "Like you don't have time….what about a watch?" Hermione shifted so she could see his face better.

"A what?" he said while quirking an eyebrow.

"Not a what, but a watch! It's a time piece that you wear on your wrist." She pulled her sleeve back to show him her own watch. It was a gift from her mom last Christmas. The band was made of leather dyed hunter green. The face was analog surrounded by a silver band, and it was a wind up. _How does mom remember facts like 'technology doesn't work in the wizard world' but not facts like 'my house colors are red and gold and our rivals are silver and green'? _Still she wore it anyway; it was nice to have a piece of her mom with her while away in this strange world.

"Why would I need one? Wouldn't this work ok?" Malfoy reached for a gold chain that was connected to one of his belt loops. Tugging on it he pulled out a brilliant silver pocket watch that had a snake looping over itself to form an M.

"Well I suppose that would work in some instances, but in others it might attract unwanted attention. It isn't like you need to actually have one; this is only for your portfolio, right?" Hermione answered as he sighed and scratched his forehead.

"I suppose. Well, then we are done here for the night? I don't have Muggle studies again until Thursday, so I have another night to think about it." Since they had already packed up the assignments Hermione needed she headed to the door, only for Malfoy to stop her. "Wait; let me check to see who is out there before you go parading yourself about." She stood there awkwardly, tracing a small green stone with her toe. Malfoy returned moments later and announced, "It's empty in the main room, but hurry through in case someone is using one of the side rooms. And I wouldn't hang about the dungeon halls too long, hurry up!"

Hermione once again went to leave, but when she reached the door to the small room she turned and looked at this strange new glasses-wearing Malfoy. "Thank you, once again, thanks." He looked up at her as he was putting his own papers away.

"Don't mention it, really, don't." He went back to cramming his papers into his bag, and she turned to go through the door when she heard his voice follow her, "See you in Potions tomorrow." Hermione smiled as she made her way out of the dungeons and towards her own house. She wasn't really as alone as she previously thought. The circumstances that had brought her and Malfoy together were by far anything but pleasant, but maybe, just maybe things will turn out ok.

Authors note:

There are ms paint floor plans of the lower library and study room three on photobucket. Search for sneaky-teaky.


	5. The Offender

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

Hermione walked towards her Potions class with the other Gryffindors. When they came upon the split in the hall she looked to the left split fondly with a smile. It had been nearly a week since her friends had turned on her. However, like a phoenix, a new friendship of sorts had been born from the ashes of her old ones. She wasn't quite sure if she would call it a friendship yet, but it was something. Their time spent together was more than comfortable. It was a very odd feeling, as if she were actually spending time with nobody, that he was an extension of herself. _Then there were those glasses…._

She went to her usual seat, front and center. Not many dared to sit this close, but as with all her other classes she was determined not to miss a thing! There was a point in time where she sat around the middle back so that she could help her friends…for a brief moment tears stung at the corner of her eyes as she thought about it. She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't notice Malfoy taking the seat next to her until he dropped his bag on the floor.

"Malfoy? Why are you sitting next to me?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"No other seats, wouldn't you know I stopped in the hall to tie my shoe and when I got in here all the seats were taken!" Malfoy exclaimed with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his face, pointedly ignoring the empty seat by Parkinson "You should be glad I made it at all, for some absurd reason I was under the impression that I had Creatures today instead!"

"Imagine that!" Hermione returned. Before they could continue with their friendly banter Snape walked in, taking his place beside his desk. With a flick of his wand a piece of chalk flew up and began to write on the dusty old blackboard. Immediately Hermione began to take very detailed notes. Not only did she write what Snape was putting on the board, but she added what she already knew in the margins. They had Potions twice a week, and Snape liked to break it into two parts, lecture and lab. As they spent Monday's class separating expired ingredients from fresh as well as identifying them, today was the lecture lesson.

Hermione couldn't help but notice that Malfoy's quill was moving much slower than hers. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he went from glaring at the board to squinting at his paper. Several times he scratched out what he had written. When he got to the point where he gave up and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment paper, Hermione found she couldn't stand it anymore. She pulled out her own paper, putting it between them on the desk and wrote:

'_Just put your glasses on already!' _Malfoy glanced at it, and then with a sneer he replied.

'_No__.' _Not one to give up she scrawled another note.

'_Seriously, if you need them who cares what you look like! Just wear them!'_

'_I care and no.'_

'_You are going to make your eyesight worse on top of having poor notes.'_

'_This I don't care about.'_

'_You're being an idiot!'_

'_And you're being annoying,' _quickly followed by_, 'what was that bit he just erased?'_

'_Ha! Admit you need your glasses.'_

'_I haven't the foggiest idea what you are talking about…Can I borrow your notes later?'_

'_You won't admit you need your glasses, but now you need me and my notes?'_

'_I don't need anything; your notes just look like they have more than mine' _Hermione was about to reply to Malfoy's last missive when Snape turned around and caught her pulling the paper towards her.

"What's this?" Snape drawled, "Stealing others notes Granger? And here you had us under the impression that you knew everything. Fifteen points from Gryffindor." His dark eyes stared at her, as if daring her to speak. So she did.

"I was most definitely not stealing his notes! I was only trying to help!" Hermione admonished. She didn't expect Malfoy to say anything, let alone stick up for her.

"It's true, I missed part of what you wrote and was asking Granger what she had." Malfoy spoke with an even tone, looking Snape directly in the eye.

"I will be the judge of that."Snape snarled at him, grabbing the parchment on which they had been communicating. "I see." He concluding, handing the paper back to them.

"Professor, are you going to return their points?" Malfoy said at the same time as Hermione protested, "What about my points?"

"Detention," Snape said in a clipped tone, "For passing notes in class, talking back to a Professor, speaking out of turn and for questioning said Professor's judgment!" Hermione was about to say how unfair he was being, but had caught Malfoy's eye that was warning her to let it go before it became worse for them. "You both will report to Filch once you are done with dinner." Hermione inwardly groaned, detention with Filch wasn't much better than detention with Snape. She spent the rest of the class in complete silence, not wanting to instigate his wrath any further.

Her mood was completely ruined for the day. On top of having detention she had so much of her own work to do that she wasn't even able to start any of her extra work courtesy of the boys. They hadn't even offered to do their own work for the evening, telling her "Sorry 'bout your luck" when she had tried to approach them on the topic. During lunch she chose to sit farther down the table with Neville and Ginny, not wanting to spend any extra time with Ron or Harry. Neville had sympathized with her about the detention.

"Filch is just awful. Last time I had detention with him, he made me clean out all of Mrs. Norris' litter boxes!" Neville said while scrunching up his nose at the memory.

"That's not that bad" Ginny interjected, "One time he had me checking all the suits of armor for bugs and such." Ginny said with a shudder, "If that's not bad enough, those suits don't like people poking inside them. Quite a few poke back!"

"Obviously you have never seen Mrs. Norris' Litter box. I can't imagine what she must eat!" Neville replied. Ginny and Neville spent the rest of lunch debating who had the worst detention experience with Filch. With each horrible detention they mentioned, Hermione began to dread the night more and more. Plus she had so much homework! She even risked working on multiple assignments during Professor Binns' History of Magic lecture!

Dinner wasn't much different than lunch. Hermione worked on assignments while Ginny and Neville had expanded their debate to all detention experiences. In the end it was decided that Neville won with the detention he had with Hagrid, the one where he, Harry and Malfoy had followed Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest. Ginny, not to be completely outdone, said Neville had the advantage of being at Hogwarts an extra year. After dinner Hermione met Malfoy at the doors of the Great Hall, both on their way to their shared detention.

"Did you finish your own work?" Hermione asked Malfoy curiously as she herself had yet to finish.

"No," was Malfoy's curt reply.

"What do you think he is going to make us do?" She asked nervously.

"Probably clean something, the castle is big after all and he is only a squib. At least, that is the general theme to detention with Filch." Hermione nodded her head in agreement with his statement. After listening to Ginny and Neville, cleaning did seem to be the majority of what Filch considered a punishment. The mood was heavy as they continued their walk towards Filch's office. "Maybe he will have us give him a foot massage and call it a day." Malfoy said with a grin.

"You did not just try to lift the mood by making an awful joke!" Hermione said with a laugh.

"It worked though, you laughed at my 'awful joke'," Malfoy retorted. "Still, after a good foot rub he might want a pedicure!" Hermione gagged at the thought of touching Filch's feet.

"And what do you, Draco Malfoy, know about pedicures?" She said in a joking manner.

"Not too much other than my mum seems a lot nicer after she has had one. Who knows, maybe that is all Filch needs to make him a nicer person!" Malfoy scoffed at his own words. Their conversation died as they neared Filch's office door. They stood there for a moment without moving. They looked to each other expectantly, waiting for the other to knock.

"Good grief!" Hermione exclaimed as she stepped forward and rapped on the door. The door shot open to reveal Filch's twisted features. A pungent smell wafted from the room behind them.

"I've been expecting you two trouble makers! Professor Snape told me you would be here right after supper. I have something good planned for you two." Filch said with a grin that showed off his yellow crooked teeth. He disappeared into the room and they made to follow him, only for him to come back out in an instant. "No, not in here, take these," Filch said gruffly, forcing a bucket and scrub brush in each hand. Silently they followed him up the stairs, the only sound being the sloshing of the water in the buckets. They came to a part of the school that Hermione couldn't quite place, but there was something familiar about it tugging at her brain.

"You will be scrubbing the floor of this hall by hand, no magic. In fact, hand me your wands, you may collect them from me when you are done." After they handed their wands over Filch left with Mrs. Norris trailing smugly behind. They looked from their cleaning equipment to the lengthy hall.

"Have you done this before?" Malfoy asked, staring at the daunting task ahead.

"Not this big of an area, and I have always had a mop before."Hermione answered.

"We are going to be here all night." He complained. Hermione began to study the floor beneath them, trying to figure out the best approach. It wasn't dirt or dust that covered the floor, but a thin layer of grime. Deciding it would be best not to ruin her robe, Hermione took hers off, folding it neatly and setting it aside on the steps that had led them here. Next she took her bucket and splashed some of its soapy contents on the floor. Dipping the brush into the bucket she kneeled on the ground, but before she started scrubbing she looked up to Malfoy who was merely watching her.

"Well?" She prompted.

"Oh, yeah, right…" He murmured as he hastily mimicked her actions. She couldn't be entirely sure but, _was that a blush I just saw? _They wordlessly fell into the practice of her scrubbing one side of the hall and he the other. They would pause frequently to pull their buckets along with them. Before they got a little more than halfway done their buckets were empty.

"Now what do we do?" Malfoy questioned.

"Find a utility closet or a bathroom I guess."She replied as they back tracked, checking the different doors until they found a bathroom in which to fill their buckets with. As they were walking to the place they had left off, Malfoy slipped on the wet floor, water from his bucket sloshing onto him. Hermione let out a laugh at his surprised face and wet clothes.

"You think this is funny?" He asked seriously, prompting another giggle to escape her lips.

"Yes, but only because it is!" she countered. She saw him pause for a moment, as if thinking about something, looking into his bucket. Before she could piece it all together he had splashed some water at her. It fell a bit short, but managed to hit her legs. Now it was his turn to laugh as he ran down the halls.

"Get back here!" she shrieked with laughter, chasing after him. They ran up the hall after each other, water being thrown about recklessly. Hermione had finally caught up to him, when she slipped, bringing them both down. They laid there laughing, their sides sore from running. When Malfoy stopped laughing she tried to calm herself down, opening her eyes to see his grey eyes once again studying her. _There it is again! _She thought as she saw spots of pink forming on his cheeks. Her own cheeks warmed to match his as she registered that her white blouse was transparent from being splashed with water. She looked away in embarrassment when she realized why this hall seemed familiar.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed upon seeing the orange and red tapestry on the wall.

"What? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look, it was just kind of hard not to," Malfoy began, his cheeks now becoming more than pink.

"No, not that! This is the hall!" Hermione said slightly annoyed.

"What hall?" Malfoy said truly puzzled.

"The hall I followed Harry and Ron into. Remember when I told you I found them in a secret room? That room is behind that tapestry." Hermione's light mood was truly subdued. "Come on; let's finish here so we can go do our homework." She sighed as they went back to scrubbing. It took them a while to not only finish the hall, but to clean up the mess they had added to it. Grabbing their cloaks they returned the buckets to Filch and retrieved their wands.

"Now, I'll be checking on that hall later. If you didn't do a good job you will find your way back here in detention! Now leave!" Filch had barked at them. Not waiting to be told twice they made their way to study room number three. Once Hermione sat in the wooden study chair she realized how much her body ached. Her hands were red and the skin was dry from the harsh soap. Her back ached from being bent over the floor and her knees were sore. Thinking about their detention, Hermione decided that pain aside it wasn't that bad. In fact, she actually had fun in her detention with Malfoy. _Fun? In detention? With Malfoy? Would things ever cease being strange?_

They began their work without too much conversation; it was late and they were very tired from their night of scrubbing the hallway. Hermione had tried to stay concentrated, to finish all the work and not stare at Malfoy in his glasses, but after finishing her own papers she found that she was drifting off…

o0o

_Did she fall asleep?_ Draco thought incredulously as he heard a soft but constant breathing punctuated by small snores coming from across the table. Looking up over his glasses he discovered that she had indeed fallen asleep. _How could anyone sleep in such an odd position?_ He wondered, observing her head resting at an odd angle on the book in front of her. Draco took a minute to think before he stood to move her. The small sofa was just that, it was too small to sleep comfortably on unless you really crammed yourself into it. _This just won't do_, he thought before turning his wand on it. The armrest and cushions grew outward until it looked like a strange rendition of a pull out couch. _Much better_.

Draco turned his attention back to the sleeping Gryffindor. He would have to be careful, he didn't want to wake her, and he wasn't sure how she would react to waking up with him in the room. That was the whole reason he was doing this. He remembered how it felt when she had punched him in third year, and he knew how skilled she was with a wand. Neither one sounded pleasant. Carefully he removed her fingers from the book and lifted her from the chair. He stopped when her breath hitched for a moment and she curled her body into his hold. After standing frozen like that for a moment, Draco was assured she was asleep and moved her to the makeshift bed.

Stealing the cushions from the wing back chairs he transfigured them into green silk pillows and placed one under her head. Next her took her cloak and changed it into a warm comforter. He was about to place the newly made comforter on her when he noticed her shirt was still a bit damp. He blushed, thinking back to earlier when he could see the outline of her bra and the peach of her skin through the white material. Quickly he cast a drying charm on it before taking her shoes and tucking her in.

Satisfied that she was comfortable he returned to the table with all the work on it. He saw that she had only finished her own work and set in to complete the work that belonged to her wretched friends. He worked long into the night until he was done with all of it. It was a good thing that he didn't have Muggle Studies until Monday, giving them the weekend to figure it out. Once everything was packed neatly away he checked on Granger who was still sleeping.

He sat down on the extended sofa and contemplated waking her. He wasn't sure about how to rouse her from her sleep, and found himself watching her in her peaceful slumber. She had curled onto her side, one arm buried under the pillow and the other resting on top of it. Her brown hair rustled softly as she breathed into the curls covering her face. He reached out, almost without thinking to brush he hair off her face. He found her hair was not only soft but quite silky. He left his hand in her hair, absent mindedly petting it as his eyes drooped. He didn't even comprehend the moment he pulled his legs onto the bed, slipping off his shoes and slipping off to sleep.


	6. The Detention

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

Once again Draco watched Granger discreetly pass off their homework assignments for the day during breakfast in the great hall. Draco glared at the boys from across the hall. His eyesight might not be good up close, but far away, he could see very sharply. This was part of what made him such a great seeker. More than ever Malfoy wanted to ditch classes and just spend a day flying above the pitch. But to miss that many classes would mean he might either be forced to sit out his first game of the year or even be kicked off the team before the season even started.

"What's the weather like out there?" Graham, Slytherin's best chaser and current captain, asked.

"Eh, one might say it looks like we are in for a storm, but I on the other hand say we should plan for a picnic." Graham didn't really care about the weather, and Draco cared even less about having picnics. While it was true that Draco had study room three's charmed window set on the quidditch pitch because it was his favorite view, he also chose that particular view because it had the advantage of letting him view who was using the pitch for practice. Still, rather than outright asking Draco his opinion of this year's quidditch competition, Graham and he had developed this code.

"Still, even a picnic needs preparation. See you at first break?" Graham didn't even stick about to see if Draco would respond. He didn't need to. Of course Draco would be there.

He turned back to his food, a bowl of oatmeal, and began to add cinnamon to it. As he stirred the bowl he thought back to last night. He wasn't thinking about the assignments, but rather about his conversations with Granger, namely the end piece where he stuck his foot in his mouth. '_See you in Potions tomorrow_.' Looking back he was surprised she didn't turn around and correct him. Today their shared class was Care of Magical Creatures, not Potions. They didn't even have potions until tomorrow. _Stupid_. How did he allow himself to trip up that much to make such an easy mistake?

Last night showed that they could be alone in the same room for hours and still be civil towards one another. Working with her had been so… comfortable. The look on her face when she first saw the charmed window gave birth to a weird feeling inside him. He found himself wanting to find incredible items to show her, just so he could see that look of amazement on her face again. Then when she made the comment about there being no reason to write a paper more than twice, he felt so angry. _Those two will get what's coming to them sooner or later, and hopefully it will be by my hand! There is no reason to write a paper more than once! _

Rather than make that kind of statement he had chosen to change the topic back to how they were going to split up the homework. The actual work itself wasn't too hard, remembering to change his tidy handwriting to look like a troll wrote it was the hard part. She hadn't noticed when he pulled out his glasses to make things easier. He paused every now and then to watch her work. He saw her face scrunch up as she skimmed the books for answers, her eyes lighting up when she found them. He watched as she chewed on her bottom lip as she figured out how she wanted to word her answer. He found she didn't have the annoying study habits of his friends, who would tap their quills, make noises, shake the table as they worked to erase a mistake, and stopped constantly to talk because they were bored.

He also remembered the look on her face when he caught her staring at him in his glasses. At first he wasn't sure what to do, she had already seen them, and he wouldn't be able to slip them off without her noticing he was trying to hide them. He really didn't want to look like a dork. Then he had noticed that her face had turned pink. Why was she blushing? He threw some sort of sarcastic remark at her so that she would stop staring, and that only made her blush deepen.

Of course she couldn't just let it go and he ended up telling her about his stupid eyes. Even then she wouldn't let the subject drop. After poking at him for a bit he made it clear to her that he didn't want others to know. That made her change the topic, but it also brought back that blush. Why did she keep doing that? Every time he saw her blush it did something to his insides, coming from that same spot that made him want to be nice to her and show her things. He was supposed to be getting help with his homework, not battling weird feelings. _Especially over a mudblood._

He was glad when she had asked about his Muggle Studies homework; it gave him a chance to escape for a moment. He didn't even look at the books he grabbed. It wouldn't really matter for this assignment; he had a muggle expert with him and most probably wouldn't be using any books. When he had returned she was looking out the window once again. At first he froze in the doorway when he saw her standing so peacefully in front of the window. Not wanting to be caught staring he had rushed to his seat and dove right into his work.

He had listened carefully, not wanting to add the wrong item to his portfolio. He asked a lot of questions as well. Then he made the mistake of remarking on her lack of muggle friends. Seeing her current situation with her wizard friends he should have known to tread carefully around that topic. She completely blew up at him when he didn't respond correctly. This made him want to yell back, but he didn't want to risk being kicked out of the library.

After he calmed her down he had tried to make things go back to how they were moments before, when things were slightly awkward but comfortable. It had worked for the most part; she even gave him the suggestion of a watch. When she had shown him her watch, he was amused to see Slytherin colors on her. Then he had decided that Slytherin colors looked good on her. He wanted to surround her with green and silver, to steal her away from the gaudy red and gold.

This thought had startled him. He tried to distract himself by showing her his own time piece. This didn't work so well as when he saw the snake that marked it as a property of Malfoy, his thoughts went to a similar item back home. He couldn't think about it. He decided to end this strange study session, casually telling her he would think about it. When she began to leave he realized there had been a fourth year using the registry when he had exchanged books. Stopping her he checked. The fourth year was wandering about the isles still. He had snapped at the girl, making her run off crying.

It was after he had told Granger it was safe to leave that he had decided to eat his foot. 'See you in Potions tomorrow.' His memory taunted him, mocking him. _'See you in Potions tomorrow.'_ Stupid weird feelings making me look stupid. _'See you in Potions tomorrow.'_ That was nowhere near cool and suave, more like stupid and dorky! Draco continued to grumble and grind his teeth as he stirred. Next to him Blaise was whistling a light and airy tune. Apparently Draco's dark mood wasn't even registering at all.

"Can you cut that out, you are ruining my mood!" Draco snapped at Blaise. The whistling stopped and Blaise turned to him.

"Looks like your mood was ruined before I got here," Blaise commented.

"What do you have to be so happy about anyway," Draco ground out.

"Well, if you must know, it has come to my ears that the Weasley girl was rejected by Potter. Something about being involved with someone else and her being his best mates little sister. Apparently she cried her eyes out all night. Look how puffy her face looks under her makeup. Ha!" Blaise was smiling as he spoke.

"You really ought to be careful how much you go on about the She-weasel. Someone might think you fancy her." Draco really didn't care, but he wanted everyone to feel as crummy as he did now. Blaise went back to his own food, but continued to hum in-between bites now. Draco was sure he was doing it on purpose, just to get back at him.

And so another day trudged by where he oddly looked forward to the class he shared with Gryffindor, only today he didn't have any of those delectable tater-tots in which to break the monotony. Each class he sat through seemed absurdly dull when compared to his thoughts on last night's study session. It wasn't like he could buckle down and get lost in the lessons; it seemed everything reminded him of something that happened. The most frequent reminder was when he went to squint as he took his notes. He knew she had a point about his glasses, but she would never hear him admit to that!

Draco seemed to be picking up a new eating habit where he watched the Gryffindor table like a hawk. During this lunch period he noticed Granger scribbling furiously throughout her whole meal, her food pushed to the side of the heavy books she was reading.

Later that day as he walked from his after lunch class to his Care of Magical creatures class he saw the most unusual thing. Walking in the opposite direction was a group of Ravenclaw girls sniffling, and one outright crying. Following them were the Ravenclaw boys, each one looking glum or angry. If he was on his way to Potions he wouldn't have thought anything of it, but what could Hagrid have done to offend them all?

Arriving around the same time as the rest of the class, Draco saw he wasn't the only one with a confused expression on his face. Nearly all of them had seen the upset Ravenclaws pass by. Looking into the pen that Hagrid usually kept the creature they were to see in, Draco almost laughed.

"Why, it's just a stupid fat ugly ferret!" Draco crowed. The ferret, which was an unusual size, turned its head toward Draco. Then it spoke.

"Well if that's true, it must be like looking in a mirror!" Draco gasped as the class laughed. He wasn't sure what to think at all. Had he really just been insulted by a ferret?

"Ha, looks like Malfoy has met his long lost twin!" Weasley barked out through his laughter.

"Who are you to speak you flaming fairy! Did your mum's venereal disease wipe off on top of your head, or does your family just breed ugly?" The vile ferret was awfully rude, but Draco decided that he might like it to stick around if it continued to insult Weasley.

"Hey, you will not speak about my mum that way!" Weasley's face coloured, matching his hair.

"Oh, but I think I will say what I like about your whore of a mum, she couldn't get enough of me last night!" Not very creative, Draco decided, but still, effectively hilarious. Potter had to physically restrain Weasley. "Is that your mate holding you back, or your girl? Such ugly hair on an even uglier girl!" Potter's hold loosened, his own anger beginning to show on his face. Pansy must have shared Draco's amusement because she snorted. "Didn't know there were any swine about, sue wee! Anyone fancy some bacon from this revolting pig!" Pansy might have been amused before, but once the ferret turned on her it was no longer funny.

"I am not a pig you dumb ferret! I am a pureblooded Slytherin and I demand some respect!" Pansy huffed, stomping her foot on the ground.

"And I demand someone get this ugly pig a bag to put over her head, I might vomit if I have to look at it anymore!" The ferret was relentless, his offensiveness coming out in a near constant stream. "If that's what a pureblood looks like I must say I have seen better looking things drop out of a muggle's backside!"

"Al'right here, this 'as gone far 'nough." Hagrid boomed as he came near them. "Sorry I'm late, 'ad ta take a Ravenclaw ter Professor Flitwick, poor lass coul' 'ardly see through all 'er sobbin'! Now, anyone know what this 'ere creature is?" If Hagrid didn't talk as loud as he normally did, the class might have not heard him over the ferret's torrent of offensives. Draco was sure there had been a comment in there about Hagrid's mum being humped by a sheep.

"Yeah, it's a Malfoy!" Potter jeered. The ferret aimed a few explicative towards Harry implying that Harry liked to suck dragon dick.

"Harry!" Hermione snapped at him in an admonishing tone. Straightening her robes she addressed Hagrid, "That foul mouthed thing is a jarvey." The jarvey was not to be outdone.

"And you are a know-it-all, rug munching mudblood!" The jarvey looked at her expectantly, his teeth glinting in an expecting smile. When Hermione ignored him he tried again. "Your blood is as filthy as you are, you dirty cunt humping whore! The only reason your parents didn't kill you at birth was so they could get welfare checks for you." Hermione didn't even bat an eye nor look at him. This seemed to enrage the jarvey even more. "You are so revolting not even a desperate disease ridden dog would try and jump your bones!" Still receiving no response the jarvey looked about as if trying to come up with a greater insult, but in the end all he could come up with was, "Well, you smell so bad I don't want to talk to you anymore!" Hermione laughed as the jarvey turned about and flopped onto the ground.

"Very good 'ermione! You see class, if you don't pay any mind ta a jarvey they will lose interest in you! Ten Points ta Griffindor! An' now that we 'ave seen the down side of the jarvey, I want yous to spend whats left of the class time ta write about what a jarvey is good fer! Now I 'ave ta go 'n see Professor Sprout 'n apologize fer the knarl I was keepin' near the jarvey for class. I thought they would be a good comparison, but oh well, guess you can jus' look tha' one up."

_Leave it to Granger to know that the only way to win against a jarvey was to ignore it. Then again, she probably had more experience than anyone else when it came to ignoring offensive ferrets. Man, this jarvey even has me insulting myself, no wonder those Ravenclaws were so devastated!_

Draco found himself a comfortable place to sit near the corral as he opened his text to the part on jarveys. There wasn't too much good about them past the entertainment value. They lived underground, eating rodents and gnomes. De-gnoming a garden was their best attribute. Flipping through the pages, he laughed as he read about the knarls. Apparently they are very easily offended, and when they get into an agitated state they tend to destroy the surrounding vegetation! Satisfied that he had done enough for this class he headed off toward the Great Hall for dinner.

Draco's new eating habits gave him the ability to completely block out all the upset students in his year. His focus stayed with Granger the whole way through the meal. Once again she could be seen pouring herself over large dusty books and neglecting her meal. He didn't even pay attention to Pansy as she simpered to the other Slytherins about how the jarvey was ruder to her than anyone else that day.

He didn't stick around too long; he wanted to beat Granger to the lower library tonight. He thought back to the previous night and chuckled to himself. He was right behind her when she had arrived, but when she started rummaging around the bookshelf he realized that he hadn't told her how to get in. It was just so natural to him now that he forgot about it being any different that the entrance to his common room. He had watched her struggle, and had almost gone over several times to help her, but had stopped himself because not only was it interesting to see her try and figure it out, it was just too funny.

He arrived at the mirror that represented Slytherin's quest for knowledge, and glanced at his reflection. He spoke the password and his reflection smirked at him, giving him a nod to let him know the passage was open. He turned from the mirror and walked straight through the book case. Draco casually walked around, checking to see if any other Slytherins were present. As he walked past the study rooms towards the main sitting area he heard voices softly talking in the rooms.

Not all the Slytherins knew about the lower library, keeping the traffic low. It was forbidden to tell first years. This was one of the many safeguards for the lower library. Why tell someone about it if they don't even use the main library? Many of the students in Draco's year didn't seem to realize there was a library, so of course they wouldn't need to know about this one. _Bunch of pampered pussies_. Due to his own course load Draco had taken to coming to this library more and more often. On bad weather days, when it was impossible to go outside, Draco would even come just for the peace and solitude.

Another rule was that you were not to tell muggle borns about the library, or bring in members of other houses. Draco had effectively broken two rules with one stone. But that was one of the things about Slytherins, they had a certain disrespect for the rules, and Draco was no exception. Draco had a feeling that even if the whole school knew that it wouldn't change the traffic patterns much. Hufflepuff was the only other house that was located in the lower levels, and they were much too fearful of the Slytherins to tread on Silver and Green territory. A stray Ravenclaw or two might make their way in, just to see what it was about, but in the end Ravenclaw would be logical about this, the main library was closer to their tower. The worst that might happen is a bunch of rowdy Gryffindors would come about on a dare.

Still, Draco knew that Granger was all about libraries and books, and most probably wouldn't share this secret with the other Gryffindors, especially now that they were not on good terms. That was one of the things that was still plaguing his mind. Why would Potter and Weasley turn on their own friend like that? The other item that was bugging him was the outlandish feelings that were rattling around his insides. _Surround her with Slytherin colors? What type of nonsense am I thinking? Why am I feeling so…possessive?_

His thoughts were interrupted as Granger came through the door. He motioned for her to go to the study room, and followed. The pitch was bathed in the amber red glow of a setting sun. Funny how those were the very colors he hated, but when he looked at the pitch at this time of day he couldn't find himself to begrudge it. He watched the distant shapes and forms that made up the Hufflepuff quidditch team. In years before Hufflepuff was never a big contender, but their new beater was brutal, something Draco would have to look out for.

"What's on the menu tonight Granger?" He asked almost lazily as he watched her arrange her materials on the desk.

"Well I have Astronomy tonight, so I finished most of the assignments already. All that is left now is Potions, Charms and your Muggle Studies." Granger beamed as she said this, proud of all her efforts.

"Are you stupid?" Draco spat and Granger visibly flinched. "I don't have Astronomy! I could have finished the work for you!" Seeing her anger mixed with a slight amount of fear on her face Draco sighed. "I know you were just doing what you felt needed to be done, but when I told you I would help you I meant it!" He thought for a moment before continuing. "Can you draw out a schedule for me? That way we can split up the work ahead of time, and get it done when we can. Anything left over or too complicated we can work on together during this time."

"That's actually a pretty good idea Malfoy, why didn't I think of that?" Granger pulled out a piece of parchment and began to draw out a time table. The classes didn't differ too much from his own; the biggest difference was the time changes.

"That's because you were stunned by my good looks?" Draco threw out jokingly.

"As if, I might have to say that jarvey we met earlier was more handsome than you." Granger retorted playfully.

"He was such a pleasant creature, wasn't he? I will have to remember to invite him to Christmas dinner when the time comes." Draco found he was smiling with Granger, and then their eyes met for a moment. Horrified Draco realized he might be flirting with Granger. He quickly turned the conversation back to safer waters. "So, how are we going to split tonight's work?"

"Well let's see, I would rather do the charms essay because I want to review it again. Would you mind taking potions? It should be fairly easy tonight. After all, we learned how to make the wit-sharpening potion back in fourth year, so this essay on the ill effects that wrong ingredients can have on the potion is more of a review really." Granger was already passing him the potions work. He didn't care to argue, he was pretty good with Potions anyway.

Even though they had less work to do tonight Draco found he was getting bored and agitated. He began to write silly things to amuse himself for a moment, but quickly erased them before finishing. Before he knew it, they were done and only had ten minutes to talk about Muggle Studies before Granger had to leave for her Astronomy class. It was a good thing she had taken the initiative to get the work done ahead of time.

"Well, I did go with the watch, I figured you grew up with muggles so you should know what was acceptable and all. I will have more later." He didn't have the class until tomorrow so other than what they talked about the other night he didn't have much more to do.

"We still need to figure out how we are going to split the classes." Granger pointed out. So they spent the rest of their time dividing the extra class work. With all this extra study time he was sure to pass all of his tests this year! _The exact opposite will happen to Potter and Weasley_! There was a sneer that accompanied these thoughts. "I know this wasn't as long as yesterday's study time for your Muggle Studies, but I have to admit working with you is quite pleasant." Draco noticed that cursed blush on her face again and he realized she was staring at his glasses again. "You should really wear those during class," she commented, "they aren't as dorky as you think they are."

"While I will have to agree that these study sessions are nice, you will not be seeing me wear these things in class." Draco punctuated his point by taking them off and placing them in their case. "Let me check for other students before you leave." Thus he established the routine of making sure there were no Slytherins slinking around the library. He could still hear the muted voices coming from another study room, but as there was no one currently in the library, he ducked back in to let her know.

As she brushed by him to leave she turned and said with a grin, "See you in Creatures tomorrow," knowing full well that tomorrow was Potions. Draco wasn't a hundred percent sure, but it didn't seem like she was mocking him outright, it felt more like she was returning an inside joke.

"Yeah, tomorrow Granger."


	7. The Assault

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

**CHAPTER WARNING:** This chapter earns this story its hard M rating. If you do not wish to read these sorts of things I suggest you change your filter to T or lower.

oOo

The early morning sun filtered through the window and splashed on Draco's face. Determined not to wake up he refused to open his eyes. If it were time to wake up his alarm would have gone off, but as it had not he was determined not to leave his bed just yet. Snuggling into the warmth of his blankets, Draco discovered something, or rather, he discovered some_one_. What had tipped him off was the curly hair tickling his nose and the floral scent that accompanied it. He was then aware that his hands were definitely placed on the very nice and firm behind of none other than Hermione Granger. That's when he began to panic.

_Shit. SHIT. Shitshitshit! There goes my balls! She is going to hex them off! This here is the end of the Malfoy line!_

It wasn't simply a matter of removing his hands and leaving; somehow in their sleep they had become _very _entwined. Not only were his arms around her and his hands on her buttocks, but her own arms were wrapped about him and one of her legs were draped over him. He tried very hard not to think of that leg, or that under the blanket her skirt had defiantly risen up due to that leg. If he thought she was going to freak out last night waking up with him merely in the same room that was going to be nothing compared to waking up in the same bed as him. In a very compromising position at that!

Shifting very carefully he let his hands slide up her back. Her skirt wasn't the only thing that had shifted. Her skin was so soft and smooth, so warm under his hands. If he didn't have a problem before, he definitely had one now as he felt himself grow. He moved his head so he could see her face; they were so close he could count the freckles on her nose if he wanted to. Still trying to figure out the best way to extract himself, Draco almost laughed as he remembered the thought he'd had the other day in the room. He had wanted to _surround her with green and silver, to steal her away from the gaudy red and gold._

_Well Draco, mission accomplished_. At this moment she was far from her own Gryffindor common room, and very much surrounded by the epitome of Slytherin. After he digested that thought, he could not stop the accompanying notions. Why would he want to leave? _Because she is going to dismember me from my favorite member!_ But other than that? _She is a mudblood!_ So? Wasn't he always looking for ways to piss his father off? Besides this wasn't that bad. She was smarter than any other witch he had ever met; he certainly enjoyed her company, he was definitely happier in the past week than he had been in a long time. She made him laugh and be playful. So why couldn't he just stay here and enjoy himself?

As the thoughts swirled through his head, he found his eyes drifting to her lips. They were small and a slightly darker shade of pink than the rest of her skin. They were perfect. Forgetting the possible danger his balls were in, he decided that he wanted to kiss Hermione Granger. No, not just wanted to, he was going to. Pulling her sleeping form close to him, he brought his lips to hers. She didn't wake at first, and instead of satisfying that growing need inside him, the kiss had intensified it. Being greedy he kissed her again, lingering to hold her bottom lip captive in his mouth.

"Whua?" Draco felt her mumble vibrate in his mouth as she woke. It had only taken her a moment to assess the situation. "Just what do you think you are doing Malfoy!" she yelped, removing her leg from him and moving her arms from around him.

"I think I am kissing you Granger." Draco said lazily, intent on continuing as he licked her upper lip before catching it between his teeth. There was a reason he shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't quite recall. All he knew was that she was blushing and he was going to snog her brains out. _Considering who this is it may take a while_, he smirked against her lips.

"Malfoy," she tried to speak as he continued to shower her with kisses, "this isn't, we can't,"  
>her protest getting weaker until it was lost in a moan. Slowly she began to respond to his ministration to her lips, her hands that were a moment ago being used as a barrier between them now were clutching at his shirt. <em>See, this is nice<em>, he told himself. Suddenly she ripped herself away, startling him even more as she yelled. "Malfoy, we are going to be late!"

When she grabbed her shoes from the floor and began to stuff her feet in them Draco realized she had seen her watch. Up until now he had really liked that watch, a splash of Slytherin on a Gryffindor princess.

He began to pull his own shoes on, lacing them up as he asked "Late for what?" Granger stared him like he had grown a second head. Well in a way he had, but she hadn't noticed that.

"Class! Breakfast has already started! Today is Friday!" The fog clearing from his head he began to collect his things. Noticing Granger moving things about in search, Draco returned her robes to their original form. She gave him a nod of thanks as she threw it on, and without even waiting for him to check the library for Slytherins she took off out the door.

As he returned the room back to right he contemplated everything that had just happened. He didn't feel too bad about her rejection. After all, she did kiss him back, and the main reason she had left was due to classes. _Typical Granger, classes will always be a top priority_. Snickering at that thought, he finally remembered the real reason he shouldn't be kissing her. _You are not supposed to fall in love with a mudblood._

o0o

That morning Hermione had rushed toward the Great Hall, reaching it much sooner than she had anticipated. Thinking about it she supposed the dungeons were much closer to it than Gryffindor tower. She had taken a moment to straighten out her clothes and pat down her hair, hoping no one would notice her flushed cheeks and swollen lips. She was more than a little late, but at least she would have time to eat something. She took her place between Ginny and Neville, who commented on her being late.

"How bad was it?" Ginny prompted. For a second Hermione thought she was referring to her kissing Malfoy, which really wasn't bad at all. "Your detention with Filch? That is why you are late right? You overslept because of your detention?"

"Oh, right, my detention." Hermione breathed, "It wasn't really that bad I suppose. He had us clean the floor of some forgotten hall. My hands are a bit dry, my knees and back are a bit sore, but otherwise I am unscathed."

"He must have been in a good mood," Neville interjected, "either that or there was some poor student that had a detention the night before so Mrs. Norris' litter boxes are already clean. Did I mention there was more than one for each floor?"

"Yes Neville, you did." Ginny ground out, slightly peeved to have lost yesterdays argument. Before they could start again Harry interrupted.

"Hermione, did you find that book I asked you to look for?" Harry said, giving her a look that was slightly darker than it needed to be. That was the cue for her to hand him a book with the completed essays in it. Hermione panicked, thinking back to how she fell asleep before even starting them.

"Nn-no," She stuttered, reaching into her bag, prepared to give him her own papers to either copy or split with Ron. That's when she found the note, written in that unmistakable small and tidy handwriting. _I finished these after you fell asleep_. Hermione smiled, he has been so sweet to her. Sliding the work into the book she had especially for this transaction, she pulled it out handing it to Harry. "But I did find this one, and it is pretty similar."

"Thanks Hermione, this will help our study sessions greatly. I am not sure why you refused to join us, we tend to study long and hard with great results." He said suggestively while looking at her through his thick glasses. Malfoy's glasses were so different from Harry's. Where Harry's were large and bulky, Draco's were sleek and elegant.

"Oh you know me," Hermione said nervously glancing across the room to where Malfoy now sat, "I prefer studying alone. I get more done that way."

"Suit yourself," Ron replied, shoving one last bite of egg into his mouth as they stood to leave. Breakfast was over and she felt like she had hardly made it through. Somehow though, she was comforted knowing that Malfoy was watching her from across the hall as well as his scent that surrounded her; the smell emitting from her robes.

She went through her classes in a bit of a daze, thinking about this morning's events. She wasn't sure why she had kissed him back; that was so unlike her! Still, his kisses were amazing, reaching down into her like a wave of electricity. Several times during her classes she had paused what she was doing to press her nose into her robes. His scent was spicy and subtle, smelling it made her feel warm.

During lunch she half-heartedly listened to Ginny and Neville bicker as she spent most of her time lost in her thoughts or stealing glances at the Slytherin table. She couldn't stop thinking about today being a Friday with a whole weekend ahead of her. She couldn't avoid him, he had done all the work last night and she still needed to help him with his Muggle Studies! Should she try to get him to talk about this morning? Should she kiss him again if he tried?

Her last few classes absolutely dragged by, but Hermione was finally leaving her last class, Transfiguration, and was walking towards the Great Hall for dinner. Between being lost in her thoughts on the mornings events and tired from the previous night's detention she didn't notice the person following her until a hand grabbed her from behind, pulling her into a side corridor. Her eye widened in fear as she saw who it was. Harry had her pinned to the walls by her shoulders, and Ron was keeping a look out for others.

"Harry, Ron, is everything ok?" Hermione weakly ventured. She could tell by the darkness in Harry's eyes that he was positively livid about something.

"Hear that Ron! She wants to know if everything is ok?! Ha! Should we tell her how we got a T on our assignments from yesterday? How we lost valuable quidditch time earlier today because we had to redo everything? Apparently the handwriting didn't look enough like ours." Hermione's shoulders began to ache with the force of the pressure Harry was using to hold her there. She looked to Ron, hoping he would come to his senses, that he would stop this. Ron however was busy rocking back and forward on the balls of his feet and watching the halls. She looked back to Harry, his face was uncomfortably close to hers.

"I'm sorry, you know I had a detention last night," he cut her off before she could finish, shaking her as he spoke.

"That is no excuse. You know what our agreement is, we lost time earlier today, and now you're going to help us make up for it." Hermione's heart was beating rapidly, the fear in her heart becoming greater and greater. There was a scuttle down the hall and a small spot of hope rose within her as Ron spoke up.

"We had better move this along Harry, I think someone might have heard us." Harry nodded and began to pull her along the hallway. Now that she wasn't pinned, Hermione moved to pull out her wand. However they must have been expecting this and Ron who had been following behind reached it first and stuck the wand in his own pocket. This put her at a great disadvantage, but she wasn't going to just give up.

Rocking her weight forward then suddenly jerking backwards while twisting her wrist Hermione was able to break free from Harry's grip. Harry turned in shock, and made to grab at her again, but she dodged. Hooking her foot around, she kicked him in the back of the knee, sending him to the ground. Turning to flee she ran straight into Ron who had been looking behind them until he heard Harry fall. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her, effectively trapping her.

Hermione took a big breath planning to scream when Harry's hand came over her mouth. His hand was sweaty and smelled foul, but being desperate to escape she bit into it. He removed his hand with a yelp, drawing his wand and casting a silencing spell on her. She doubled her struggles, kicking wildly at anything around her, making it as difficult as she could for them to move her. Ron turned, slamming her back into the wall. Her vision blinked into stars for a moment as she heard Ron ask Harry to help him.

They decided one would carry her legs and the other her torso. She continued to kick and wriggle as much as she could as they took hold of her. They were far off the main hall now, and her back ached as tried to free herself. Tears began to collect in her eyes as her mouth formed a silent scream when she saw the tapestry that led to their hidden room.

The last time she had been in there, she was too shocked to take in any of the room. To say that this time would be any better would be wrong. She discovered there was dirty mattress in front of a fireplace only because they tossed her there. They whole room had a musky smell to it, but it was much worse on the mattress. She began to lift herself up, only to be forced down by Harry's arm, laying his body across hers, trapping her once again. Hermione shook in disgust as he licked her neck, his mouth moving lower across her collar bone. He started to part her blouse, his teeth scraping across the exposed top of her breast. Panicking she tried to bring her knee up to slam it into his groin. He rolled to the side before she made contact, the result being she only hit him in the thigh, but the force caused him to bite down, breaking her skin.

Anger rose in Harry's eyes, and he whispered a spell, leaving Hermione's limbs to go limp like a ragdoll. She was now completely disconnected from her magic, her voice and her movement. Tears leaked freely down her listless face. There would be no escape for her.

"Now I don't like doing this to you Hermione," Harry cooed as he wiped the tears from her face. "You're our friend and we care for you. But if you won't cooperate then this is how things will be done. Give it a few minutes, you may even like it." He sat up on his knees so that he could take off his shirt, and then looked to Ron who had been hovering by the side. "Come on Ron help me out a bit here."

"I don't know Harry, you said," Harry cut Ron off, pulling him into a kiss. Hermione was spared the full view of them pawing at each other as her head was angled the opposite way. That didn't stop the noise from invading her ears. She felt the mattress rise and fall as they toppled over in their eagerness to touch each other. Harry reached over to Hermione, pulling her in between them. At this point they both were down to their underwear, leaving Hermione with her clothes still on, but her robe discarded and her blouse pulled open. Harry continued to kiss Ron while his hands roamed her body. Ron was using one arm to support himself as the other reached over Hermione, massaging Harry's inner thigh.

Hermione's mind screamed when Harry's hand dipped between her legs to pull up her skirt. His hand traced her navel as it traveled back down over her panties. He began to pet her through the thin material, his own hardness rubbing into her side. His lips left Ron's so that he could wet his middle finger by sucking on it for a moment. Hermione's core muscles tensed up as his fingers slipped past the cloth barrier. His fingers traced a circle around her opening before he plunged his wet finger inside her. She gasped for air as he violated her insides.

"Oh, Ron, you have got to feel this!" Harry hissed, removing his hand to grab Ron's. Once again Ron hesitated.

"Harry, I, I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this. You said we were just going to scare her, and she looks pretty scared to me." Harry sighed, pulling Ron's hand toward her center.

"We have been over this Ron, if we stop now she won't learn her lesson. She put herself here by not doing her work right!" Covering Ron's hand with his, Harry guided Ron's hand down the path he had taken earlier. If it had hurt before, she was in real pain now with a finger from both of them inside her.

"This feels wrong Harry," Ron moaned as Harry sucked his neck.

"It will be alright, you're just not used to this," Harry responded. "If it makes you feel any better I can take this end while you take the other. Help me prop her up." Harry moved away from her, taking the cushions from a nearby couch and putting them next to her. They rolled her over so that it was under her middle. She felt him tug her panties down her thighs, not taking the time to remove them all the way. She felt his hands holding her hips as he positioned himself. All he was waiting for was for Ron to move into place.

"I'm telling you Hermione, give it a minute and you will be loving it."

o0o

Draco had spent the day with his mind in the clouds. There were so many thoughts and emotions rolling through him that he didn't catch anything from his lessons. He didn't even have a class with the Gryffindors on Fridays. He used to love that about Friday, but not now. Now it only made him more anxious for meal times. Blaise had tried to talk to him during lunch, asking why he was so late to breakfast and such but Draco didn't respond. Draco didn't even comment on Blaise's meal time mention of the Weasley girl.

He just sat and watched Granger from across the hall, hoping to catch her eye. He noticed her smelling her robes, something he was sure that she didn't normally do. He wished that he could retreat into his nothing box, the part of his brain that every guy had, the place they could go to not think. At the same time he knew he had too many thoughts to process, from the way he felt when he was kissing Granger to his strong emotions he was developing for her.

When dinner came he was even more restless, knowing it was the only thing that stood between him and a weekend in study room three with Granger. He looked around the Great Hall, not seeing her there he thought he had beaten her to the meal. He continued to look around, nervously waiting for her to arrive.

"Looking for your favorite Gryffindors to glare at?" Draco's ears perked up when Blaise mentioned precisely what he was doing.

"Maybe," Draco admitted, "what is meal time in the Great Hall without me glowering at the Golden Trio?" He added that last bit in hopes of drawing Blaise off the trail.

"Well I wouldn't waste any more time on that tonight if I were you." Blaise spoke casually as he salted his soup.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco bit out, not wanting to play games with Blaise.

"Oh, just that one of the second years heard them squabbling in the hall about something or another." Blaise spoke in a bored tone as he blew on his soup to cool it down. "They probably won't show up this meal time. If we are lucky they will be off on some scheme of theirs and won't return for the remaining school year. Wouldn't that make quidditch a breeze this year? We would still have to put up a good defense against the remaining Weasley. One does have to admit she makes for a fine chaser."

Draco didn't bother to remind him about Hufflepuff's brutal beater, instead focusing on the part that interested and worried him the most.

"You say a second year saw them fighting?" Draco asked, and Blaise looked to him in mild surprise.

"Since when do you care if they are fighting other than to gloat?" Blaise eyes were sharp, ready to pick out any information. Ignoring Blaise's questions Draco tried again.

"Which second year? What house?" Draco was barely able to contain his rising panic.

"Ours, the one with the feather earrings and stone necklace." The moment the words were out of Blaise's mouth Draco was making his way down the table, ready to pounce on the young girl for information. He grabbed her shoulder roughly, turning her towards him.

"Hey, what gives?" She had snapped at him until she saw who it was. Instantly she began to blush, a shy smile on her face. _I don't have time for this!_

"I heard you saw Granger and her friends fighting in the hall?" Draco had barked at her, his eyes fixed on her threateningly, making her squirm.

"Yes," she squeaked out, her voice much smaller this time.

"Well out with it!" He raged, "Where were they? What do you mean exactly by fighting?!"

"Um, between here and Transfig, they were yelling at her about breaking an agreement or something. I think they saw me and took off though, to be honest I was more scared of them." She said sheepishly, her ears turning red. Draco ran from the hall, thinking as he searched. That room they used, the one he had seen the entrance of during his detention last night, it was real close to the Transfiguration hallway! He sped up, hoping he wasn't too late.

Reaching the hall he began to look for the orange and red tapestry. This wasn't supposed to happen! He was helping her, the assignment were done! He raced up and down the hallway, not finding a trace of orange or red. Then he saw something on the ground that made his heart leap and sink at the same time. Her watch lay on the ground, the glass on its face shattered. The time it held was nearly twenty minutes ago. That was long enough for too many unimaginable things to happen.

Taking a closer look at the wall that he had found the time piece by, he discovered that there was a tapestry there, only it was made of dull grays and blues. He could tell by the charms that were trying to make him look away that he had found it. Nearly ripping it down as he pulled it aside he tried the door and found it was locked.

"Reducto!" He yelled the spell as he charged the door. Instantly the door turned to dust, but his rage was a building flame. In the room before him he found many things he had wished never to see. Lying on a ratty mattress, propped up on cushions was _his_ Gryffindor. Potter was behind her, his disgusting dick ready to enter her. Weasley had one hand on Granger's jaw, the other was lining himself up to her mouth.

"Stupefy!" Draco screamed twice, a red stream of light hitting each Potter and Weasley respectively. He rushed forward to Granger as she lay there limp and unmoving. He looked around and saw her robes discarded on a table near the door and her wand sticking out of a pair of black slacks. He took the wand, putting it into his own wand slip, then he grabbed her robes. Carefully he wrapped her in the dense material, collecting her in his arms and leaving the room.

He had wanted to stay there and beat Potter and Weasley until they were unrecognizable. He wanted to rip them apart for daring to lay even a finger on her. She was the only reason he hadn't done those things. She was hurt and bleeding, her eyes full of pain and leaking tears. The worst part for him was that she was unresponsive. She didn't move at all as he carried her down the halls. He cradled her to him so that her head would not bounce around as he ran.

He wasn't sure at first where he was taking her to. Part of his mind thought to take her to Madame Pomfrey for healing, then to the Professors to reveal how admirable their Wonder Boys were. His feet, however, took them down the familiar path down into the dungeons. He reasoned with himself that the only motive for not turning them into the Professors was that he wanted his own revenge. If he told the Professors he might not get that chance.

He thought of all the possible safe places he could take her in the dungeons, dismissing them in the same second he thought them. He could not take her to the Slytherin dorms; they would prove to be just as dangerous as the room he had taken her from. Next he thought of their study room, a place of fond memories and comfort. He dismissed that idea as well, he would not be able to properly care for her there and once again he could not promise her safety in an area open to the Slytherins. He tried to think of a safe and private place, with adequate utilities in which to help her. _The utilities_! He knew the password to the lower level prefects' bathroom, it was very silly and that is why he remembered it.

"Splish Splash!" He roared to the seahorse statue that guarded the bathroom. The seahorse blew a large bubble that floated to the wall and popped. A perfectly round hole the size of the bubble appeared in the wall. He ducked through it, a small amount of relief washing over him as the opening sealed behind him. That was the best part of this bathroom. It was designed in such a way that once it was already occupied, all other students would be turned away. He laid Granger on the floor for a moment, looking for something to transfigure into a bed or cushion of sorts. Draco hastily pulled together some towels and turned them into a futon.

Once again he cradled her as he moved her onto the futon. Draco wasn't sure what to do next when he saw movement. With excitement he watched as her mouth moved, making soundless words. He held her face as he tried to read her lips. He grabbed his wand as he deciphered her message.

"Finite Incantatem" Draco didn't know what to expect when he spoke those words, but what happened next was unbearable. The first sound she made was a choked sob. Her body shook with her ragged crying. One of her hands shot to her bleeding breast, the other hand went down to hold the area between her legs. He was glad that she was able to move on her own, but she was hurt and he needed to help her and he didn't know how to go about it. Crawling next to her he pulled her into his arms. She flinched at the contact before curling herself into him. He held her until her weeping died out.

"Draco," Her weak voice saying his name, his first name, startled him out of his thoughts. "I…it hurts," she whimpered. She was showing him her hands; both had red streaks of blood on them. Her blood. Blood that looked no different from his. "I feel so filthy…I...please, help me." He carried her to the lip of the large tub. Like the prefects bathroom in the upper levels it could be classified as a small swimming pool or a large hot tub. After turning the taps on and letting them run, he helped her remove her socks and shoes. He took off his own footwear and socks, tossing them near the futon. When he looked up he saw Granger, _Hermione_, had discarded not only her robes but her skirt and blood stained blouse. Not prepared for that he looked away, his whole face enflamed in a bright red blush. The water was nearing the top of the tub, but she didn't move to get in.

"I need help," she said slightly embarrassed. Wondering why she would need his help, he looked to her, only to find his own embarrassment flee at the fury that filled him at the sight of her. This morning he had caught a glimpse of her skin and it had been pale. Now her back was a collage of blue and black bruising. He also took note of the marks on her arms and legs. "Thank you," she whispered when he began to remove his own shirt and pants.

He climbed into the tub, the hot water lapped at the hem of his boxers as he twisted himself about to lift her in. She hissed as the water touched her skin when he sat down. She stayed there on his lap, inactive as he held her. When she did begin to move, he was uncertain to what she was doing, there were too many bubbles to see. He did feel her shifting about on his lap, then she surprised him again as she threw something from the water to the trash bin. Hanging on the lip of the bin he recognized her red stained panties.

"What are you doing?" his voice came out high and strangled sounding.

"I don't want these touching me anymore," she said, her hands moving to unclasp her bra, "I would remove my skin if I could." Draco was more than uncomfortable in many ways as he felt her naked skin against his chest under the water. He didn't move because he felt this was where he needed to be, he needed to help her, to comfort her. Sure, over the course of the day he had come to terms with the fact that he wanted her in multiple ways, that he was beginning to become emotionally devoted; still, there was a big gap between snogging a girl you fancied and sitting with her naked on your lap in a tub. He felt he may need more time to adjust than he was going to be allowed.

Seeing her wince as she tried to scrub herself with a washcloth, he took it from her hands and began to softly rub her skin. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks as he wiped the blood off her chest. Once the blood was gone he saw the perpetrator of her bleeding, a bite mark. He would have to remember to get a healing balm for her later. Remembering the other location she had been bleeding from he offered the rag back to her. Tears came down her face once again as she took it from him. He could only imagine she was thinking about what they had done to her.

"Did they, did he..." He started, unable to finish his sentence.

"No, you came right in time." She replied as she cleaned herself. _No_, he thought bitterly, _right in time would have been a minute before they even touched you_. He thought once again to the blood that had been on her hands.

"But you were bleeding…" Once again his voice trailed off, the end of his sentence lost.

"His nails, they scratched me when he, when they…" He wished he didn't understand what she was saying as she started crying again. He held her and rocked her, trying to soothe her while soothing himself.

"You're safe now. They can't get you here. I have you. You're safe, I have you." Draco repeated as he held her tightly. They sat there holding each other until the water turned cold and clear. He carried her out of the water, wrapping her in a large towel as he laid her on the futon. He joined her there after applying the same drying charm he used yesterday on her shirt to his drenched boxers.

Tomorrow he would send out some owls. He would make sure this never happened to her again. For tonight, he would hold her until they both fell asleep. He pressed his lips against her temple, sealing his silent promise. He didn't expect her to turn her head and kiss him in return. The last thing he heard before falling asleep was her voice saying the same words she had been saying over and over to him in the past week.

"Thank you Draco."


	8. The Errands

Draco woke up very early this Saturday morning. Normally his weekend plans would involve quidditch practice, finishing homework, taking naps, sending an owl to his mum, normal stuff. Today, however, he had a full agenda that didn't include any of those. Well, except that owl to his mum, not only would she be expecting an owl from him, there was something he wanted to ask her. Before he could do that he had some slightly higher priorities.

First on his agenda was to move Hermione to another location. The lower level prefects' bathroom had suited their needs last night, but soon there would be prefects from both Slytherin and Hufflepuff banging on the entrance to use the facilities. There would be no easy explanation to why he was carrying a naked Gryffindor girl, which everyone _knows_ he hates, out of the bathroom.

Second, once he moved her to a more permanent location he would have to procure a healing balm for Hermione's wounds. She wasn't bleeding anymore that he could tell, but if left untreated they could scar or possibly lead to an infection. Then there were all those bruises. The hot water had helped last night, but her skin was still discolored with dark purple and black marks. Even after he tended to her physical wounds, who knew how deep the emotional ones ran. _How long will those take to heal?_

Draco thought while busying himself with restoring the bathroom to the way it was before they had entered last night. Once everything was put right, all that was left was Hermione and the futon. She was laying on the futon, still asleep. He could tell she was having a nightmare because she was crying in her sleep. He wanted nothing more at this moment than to go to her and hold her. He didn't give in to that want, knowing there was still a lot he had to get done. He did sit down next to her, trying to think of a solution for her lack of clothes. He couldn't leave and come back, the bathroom wouldn't allow that. At the same time he couldn't walk about with her in this state. She had also made it very clear last night that she didn't want to wear them again. The only other viable option was to transfigure the towel into a dress.

Draco has transfigured a lot of things over the years, it should be easy, but he knew it wasn't going to be this time. See, it is one thing to change one item you knew about into another. Like the futon from the towels. His family had vacationed in wizard Japan during summer a few years back, and he learned about futons there. Since he already had knowledge about what a towel looked like and a proper futon, the switch was easy. But a dress? What did he know about dresses other than girls wore them? Still, he had to try.

He tried to concentrate as he cast the spell, thinking of one of his mothers elegant yet simple dresses. Examining at his handiwork he realized he got something right: Draco Malfoy did not know much about dresses. The shapeless thing she was now wearing still had the texture and look of a towel, the only difference it had now was that it looked like a potato sack made out of a towel with head and arm holes. At least she was covered and it wasn't in danger of falling off. After he had looked at his makeshift dress, the stray thought that he should learn more about dresses crossed his mind._ Seriously? When will I ever be in the position that I have to transfigure a towel into a dress again!_

Now to find somewhere safe. He continued to discard the ideas he had last night, for the same reasons. Too many people, especially Slytherins, in all those areas. He had to move though, and he was running out of time. In fact, he was becoming almost desperate to find a safe haven for her to be while he ran his errands. What do they say about desperate times? They often call for really desperate measures. There was probably only one person in this castle who knew the majority of Hogwarts mysteries and secrets. And that person would be the school caretaker, Argus Filch.

o0o

"Good morning my lovely," Filch cooed to Mrs. Norris. "Do you know what today is?" The cat was used to the old man talking to her, as if he couldn't keep his thoughts to himself. Instead of meowing a reply for him like she would often do, she rubbed against his leg, trying to lead him to her food bowl. "Saturday. I hate Saturdays! Without classes there is too much free time for these mangy students to do things like pull pranks, makes messes, find trouble, or even worse," He paused for dramatic effect, the cat uninterested pawed at her empty bowl, "they might smile or have fun. Can't have that can we? Everyone knows if a student is smiling they are up to no good!" He finally got the cats hints to feed her and he walked to the cupboard where the food was kept.

Just as he was beginning to open the can there was a knock on his door. It was distant so he knew it was coming from his office. He grumbled just about everything as he walked from his small living quarters he was given to his office. The knocking came again, sharp and insistent.

"Knock that off!" Filch snarled through the door as he worked to open all the locks. There were seven in all; each one charmed by Professor Flitwick to resist or repel unlocking spells. For some off reason or another, the old teacher took pity on the caretaker's plight for privacy, giving the locks as gifts each year for Christmas starting the same year as those infernal Weasley twins came to the school. It was a nice gesture that Filch never properly returned. He opened the door to find the blonde boy from detention two nights ago. _What was his name? Durku Malfrey?_ "What do you want Durku?" Filch growled out at the boy.

"It is Draco, and I am in need of your assistance." The boy stood there patiently, as if he was going to get exactly what he asked for.

"Unless there is a student in need of punishing, I suggest you leave now!" Filch did not have the patience for this, especially on a Saturday! He began to slam the door on the boy, only for the boy to stick his foot in between the door and its jam. A wince of discomfort flashed on the boys face before it set into a look of determination. That look never means anything good!

"I wish to have a bit of information about the castle, nothing else. I am prepared to make it worth your while." Hearing a jingle, Filch looked to the source of the sound. Shuffling from one of the boys hand to another was approximately twelve galleons. Still leery, Filch interest was piqued. "Just think of how many cat toys you could buy with this…" _What's a little information anyway? _

"What would you like to know?" Filch said, greed gleaming in his beady eyes.

"That hall you had us clean the other night, it has a secret room near the end, doesn't it?" Flitch tried not to fidget as the boy spoke, but the boys eyes were sharp and caught him tracing a finger over one of the keys he had on a loop. The boy pressed on. "What I would like to know is where can I find another room similar to that one, not in the dungeons, first level or anywhere near the towers?"

"Demanding little bugger, aren't you" Filch grumbled.

"I am not done," the boy snapped, "It has to be safe, but supplied with furniture and utilities."

"And I'm supposed to tell you where this is, so you can get into whatever trouble you are planning, just because you flash about a few pieces of gold?" When Filch spoke, he sneered out the word 'few'.

"Oh? You thought this was all I had to offer? Silly me, I should have shown you the whole amount." The boy spoke with confidence as he pulled a coin purse from his robes, opening the bag and letting the coins in his hands slip in to join several more of its kind. _That would provide a lot of toys and treats for my precious Mrs. Norris…_Filch thought before deciding. He reached for the bag only for the boy to draw it back.

"Information first." The boy demanded.

"Fourth floor, the hall that views the lake side, there should be an abandoned teachers quarters. You will find everything you need there, guarded by a jade elephant with ivory eyes." Filch rushed through his sentence, eye not straying from the bag.

"How do I enter this room?" the boy asked.

"You twist the right tusk and whisper into its ear why you wish to gain entrance. If the elephant deems you satisfactory it will let you enter."

"That sounds a little much to be doing every time I wish to enter." The boy said, as if he was not entirely convinced.

"It's not every time, just the first. After all, an elephant never forgets."Feeling he lived up to his part of the deal Filch tried once again to snatch the coin purse. This time the boy allowed him to take it. He rubbed the soft material, feeling the coins through it. _Yes, this will provide for quite some time. Obviously the boy is up to no good. Once he is in Mrs. Higglebricks old room I will be able to find out what he is up to, and when I do_-Before Filch could finish his thought, the boy said something that more than interrupted them.

"Obliviate."

o0o

Draco went around the corner where he had left Hermione while he dealt with Filch. He didn't feel sorry at all for what he had just done; he felt he was justified seeing his cause. Not only would the old grump not remember their conversation, but he wouldn't question the bag of contraband items he will have assumed that he confiscated. The galleons were all fake, and if Draco hadn't shuffled them about constantly Filch would have seen there were no serial numbers. Sure, Draco had lots of money, but one did not stay rich by giving it all away, plus he didn't want any surprised from the old caretaker or his cat.

When he neared Hermione she put her arms up so that he could lift her. She had tried to walk on her own on the way down, but between the pain in her back and muscles and the cold of the floor on her bare feet, it would have taken them a lot longer to get anywhere. And speed was a necessity at the moment. They took all the back ways he knew to get from one place to another without running into anyone, reaching the jade elephant without any trouble. The elephant was truly a unique and beautiful piece, but he had not time to admire it properly. Grabbing the tusk he twisted, leaning forward to plead his case to the ornament pachyderm. Leaning back, he watched to see if he had convinced the guardian of their potential safe room.

The elephant closed its ivory eyes, and the air seemed to hum for a moment, followed by a soft rumble. Around the round base the elephant stood on the floor began to sink, forming a spiral staircase. They had gone down exactly six steps when there was a grinding shift behind them. Draco looked over his shoulder to see the stairs behind them rising to complete the floor around the jade elephant once again. A bit relived that no one would be able to follow them down, Draco descended the rest of the steps with Hermione. The stairs came out into a light and airy room, with windows looking onto the lake. The water shimmered dazzling in the bright morning sun.

"It's beautiful," Hermione breathed, her eyes dancing as they reflected the light. This was the first thing he had heard her say all day. He had been beginning to fear that she had given up on talking. _Maybe she will be ok, everything will be ok_, Draco let himself think positively. He carried her forward to a plush blue couch in front of a jade fireplace, setting her down in a way which would allow her to look at the lake. He took a quick glance about the open room. There was a small kitchenette with a small breakfast table that shared the wall with the curve of the stairs. On the far wall was a wooden desk surrounded by bookcases full of books. Yes, this will do nicely.

"Alight, you're safe now, I have a few errands to run, but I will be back before lunch." When he mentioned lunch he realized they had missed breakfast, and wondered if the small kitchen had anything to offer. A quick inspection of the cabinets had confirmed his suspicions; they held nothing but cutlery and cooking tools. He would have to add stopping at the kitchens to his to do list. He looked to Hermione before he left; she sat there staring out the windows to the sparkling waters outside. Draco ran up the stairs, taking them practically two at time. As he neared the top there was a rumble as the top stairs formed once again. He would be able to do all his errands without much worry knowing she was somewhere safe.

He ran all the way to the owlery when he came to a screeching halt. He had come all the way out here, but had forgotten to write the letter! It is a good thing they have some up here just for that instance! He thought as he grabbed a sheet and began to write. He wrote two different letters before approaching his large eagle owl. He knew the owl would not like going on this flight early, normally it was much later in the day when he would ask his owl to deliver things. But this was extremely important. Grabbing a owl treat he called to his owl.

"Bubble, I need you to take these letters." The owl glared at him, but was pacified by the treat. He had recived the owl as a gift when he was very young. His parents tried to tell him the name of his genus, Bubo Bubo, but Draco had misinterpreted, thinking the owls name was Bubble. His father tried to get him to change it, but his young mind was made up, and the owl was stuck with this ridiculous name.

"One of these you are to take to mum, you know where she is, the other you are to take to 93 Diagon Alley, London, England. You are to wait for a response from mum if possible, but the other you are to drop and leave immediately! Understand?" the owl cooed before taking the letters and expanding its large wings. Without a moment's hesitation the owl took to the air. Draco watched the owl fly for a moment, hoping it would return soon with what Draco needed.

He turned out of the owlery, set on his next task of getting a healing balm for Hermione. He could ask either Professor Snape or Madame Pomfrey for some, but both would ask to see why he needed it. Short of hurting himself, an option he did not want to perform, they most likely not give the balm to him. That is how he found himself heading out to the Herbology greenhouses to see Professor Sprouts. She was exactly where he assumed she would be on an early Saturday morning.

"Professor," He called. The professor jumped slightly, she turned to see Draco and smile lightly as she did with most students.

"Mr. Malfoy, you startled me, I wasn't expecting anyone this morning." She said as she stood up and dusted off her hands. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" Draco hesitated before he spoke, and then forged on, not wanting to waste much more time.

"Professor, I feel as if I need to practice my healing balm a little more, I just can't seem to get it right."He laid out his well practiced lie. His healing balm was near perfect, he just needed the ingredients' he could get from her.

"This sounds more like a Potions exercise, are you sure you wouldn't rather asking Professor Snape for help?"Professor Spout said while tucking a stay hair behind her ear, leaving a smudge of dirt on her brow.

"Well, I feel I also need to practice identifying the ingredients', plus I want to surprise the Professor the next time we make it."Draco said with a convincing smile."If you could, just make a list and I will do my best to pick them out."

"Well, alright then," she said while reaching into her work apron to retrieve a scrap of paper and a charcoal pencil. "You will need camphor, menthol, cajuput oil, mint oil, dittany, crushed pomegranate seeds and clove oil for this basic healing balm," She spoke out loud as she wrote down the plants he would need to gather the ingredients from. "It should smell strongly when done, but it very effective."

Draco took the paper from her hand and went about collecting the items without a pause. Once he had all the main plant parts he took them to the greenhouse work station to process them into the ingredients he needed. It took him a while to get the menthol from the mint leaves, but once he had it he was ready to make the balm. Pulling a mixing pot from under the bench he started to put them together. When it was time for the last step he lit a small fire under the pot, letting the mixture steep for a few minutes. _It defiantly has a strong smell_, he thought as he poured the hot balm into a jar. Looking through the glass the color was right, and the texture should be as well once it has cooled down. Thanking Professor Sprout he headed off to the school kitchens for his final morning task.

Upon entering the kitchens he saw how busy the place was right before lunch compared to when he normally visited for a late night snack or drink. House elves were bustling everywhere to prepare the large midday meal. Feeling more than a bit out of place and lost, he stood there in the doorway until he saw something familiar.

"Dobby!" he shouted, trying to be heard over the ruckus in the room. "Dobby!" he shouted again, only this time he knew the house elf had heard him because the elf's ears had perked up.

"Young master!"Dobby spoke while walking to him, "Dobby wants to know what be it the young master is here for?"

"Dobby, it's nice to see you again. I don't want to be too much of a bother, but could have some food?" Draco's father hadn't been too nice to the house elves, but as Draco was an only child it was often the house elves who kept him company.

"Dobby thinks that the young master should be waiting not long and the food will be arriving in the Great Hall." The house elf nervously wrung his ears, showing his discomfort.

"Dobby, I can't wait, I missed breakfast and I'm very hungry." Draco said, emphasizing by clutching his stomach.

"Nothing is to be changed by Dobby young master, lunch is being soon."Dobby said, stamping his foot a bit. Draco didn't want to let house elf in on his secret, but it seemed that it might be the only way.

"But Dobby, it's not just me, my friend Hermione Granger is also very hungry and she is not feeling well enough to come to the Great Hall, and I promised I would bring her food."Draco waited anxiously while Dobby thought for a moment.

"Young Master be not a friend of Miss Granger, why would young master lie to Dobby for?"The house elf regarded Draco suspiciously.

"I'm not lying, it is the truth. In fact you could visit her and ask her yourself! She will be in the room underneath the jade elephant. But she needs food; she hasn't eaten since lunch yesterday."Draco hadn't fully realized how many meals they had skipped throughout this ordeal until he said it out loud.

"Young master and Miss Granger is to be staying in the Jade Elephant Suite? Why is young master to be not saying so to Dobby in the first place! Dobby can stock the suite with food for young master and Miss Granger!" the house elf jumped about enthusiastically. At first Draco was taken aback by Dobby's sudden change in emotion towards him. _All I had done was mention the jade elephant…that's it!_ Draco thought about the room and the requirement the room has for those to enter. Perhaps it was just the simple fact that the room had let them in that had changed Dobby's mind.

"Thank you very much Dobby, but I must ask that you must speak of this to no one, especially Potter and Weasley." Draco looked directly into Dobby's eyes as he said this, as if that could that could communicate the level of gravity in the situation to the elf.

"Why is Dobby not to tell Harry Potter or Ron Weasley that Miss Granger is being not well?" Dobby's eyes were huge as he asked this.

"I can't tell you right now, it's still too fresh and upsetting. Just trust me…and the jade elephant."Draco threw on that last part; thinking would help to convince Dobby to keep their secret.

"Dobby will be keeping the young masters secret and delivering food to Miss Hermione" the elf said before rushing back into the throng of the kitchen to collect things. Now that his errands were done Draco could return to the Jade Elephant Suite, as Dobby had called it. There would be food, and hopefully soon there would be answers.

o0o

Hermione heard the rumble that signaled the steps were moving and Draco's return. She didn't move as he entered the room. In fact, she hadn't moved at all while he was gone. She had sat there the whole time, her eyes fixed on the water and her mind lost in thought. Several times her mind replayed last night's events, and each time she thought of another way it could have been avoided. She had been silly thinking she was safe just because she was doing their homework. Then again, she didn't understand why they were doing this in the first place, this wasn't like them. That is what made her follow them to that room the first time, their odd behaviors.

"I have a healing balm for your back and wounds," Draco spoke softly, as if she might fall apart if he was any louder. "Plus Dobby will be stocking the room with some food for us soon." He sat down on the couch next to her, offering the small jar with the orange balm. She took it and twisted the lid off. The strong mix of smells hit her nose. She could easily identify clove and mint, although the clove was the stronger of the two scents.

Dipping her finger tips into the jar, she began applying it first to the bite mark on her breast. The pain that had been there all night ebbed away until it was a faint touch. She tried to apply it to her back, but winced as she tried to reach it. Without being asked Draco took the jar from her hands, rubbing the orange balm on her back for her. He reached as much as he could through the back collar of her makeshift dress. Relief washed over her back as the pain there faded. All that was left for her to take care of was the aching pain that was between her legs.

Hermione took the balm back from Draco, and he must have realized where she needed to use it next because he mumbled something about 'see the rest of this place' and disappeared through a door between the fireplace and the entrance. Dipping her fingers in the balm again she hesitated, not even wanting to touch herself there. But the pain guided her balm covered fingers inside her. On her skin the balm had tingled warmly, but inside it almost burned as it heated to heal her wounds. She also found she couldn't reach all the spots that were harmed, her fingers being shorter than Harry and Ron's. Still, she made do with what she could reach. Closing the lid to the balm she straightened her clothes out, intending to find Draco and thank him for, well, everything.

Before she could go search for Draco there was a small pop, and there in the kitchenette stood Dobby, holding a tray with soups and teas.

"Miss Granger, Dobby is hearing the Miss is not to be feeling well, so Dobby has brought the Miss lunch to be having the Miss feel better." Dobby sat the tray down on the small breakfast table. When he got a proper look at her his eyes lit up. "Oh, what a lovely outfit the Miss is to be wearing today! Dobby likes it much; Dobby would be liking one of Dobby's own if Dobby could!" Looking down at her ridiculous towel dress Hermione gave off a small laugh.

"Thank you very much Dobby, for the lunch and the compliment. This dress was made by Draco for me this morning." Hermione smiled at the Dobby as Dobby looked at her with amazement. Only a house elf could find this dress any more than hideous. "Maybe I can even ask him to make one for you, if you would like that." Hermione suggested this, thinking it would make the Elf happy, and it did. Dobby jumped up and down in excitement, twisting his ears about.

"Dobby thanks the Miss, she is too kind, but Dobby must return to the kitchens, lunch is being soon!" And with a loud crack the elf was gone. Shortly after Dobby had left, Draco returned to the room, joining her at the small table for lunch.

"Have you looked in the other room?" Draco asked lightly.

"No." Her answer was short, but not curt, just a statement.

"Well, if you thought this room was nice just wait till you see the next one. It has a nice bed, and the view is the same, but it's still nice. Plus there is a bathroom with a big tub, not as big as in the prefect's bathroom, but still a nice size." She knew he was trying to make small talk so that she would feel better, but she didn't care to talk about the suite or its furnishings, however lovely they may be. He noticed her silence, watching her eat her soup.

"I know you might not want to, but if you need to talk I'll listen" Draco's eyes and voice spoke with extreme sincerity. There was no way that she could go untouched by such sincerity.

"Thanks, I will keep that in mind." Hermione replied, then starting eating her soup in silence. The soup was hot and warmed her insides, making her feel sleepy. When she had finished her meal she placed the dishes in the sink and made her way to the couch. Now that her injuries had been seen to and her stomach full, she found that she was still very tired. She had hardly been on the couch for a minute before she curled up and went to sleep.

o0o

Draco watched her go lie down on the couch and fall asleep. He was glad she was being more responsive, but was still worried by how short those responses were. When he saw her shaking in her sleep he walked to the bedroom and pulled a blanket out of one of the closets. It was really a nice bedroom, if not hideous in colorings. He returned to the sitting area and wrapped the blanket around her, adjusting her so that he could hold her in her sleep. With the blanket and himself in place she ahd stopped shivering, making him feel much better.

He spent the rest of the afternoon like that, holding her as she slept, looking out the windows as she had done earlier. He watched out of the windows, waiting for the answers to his problems to arrive with the wings of a great eagle owl named Bubbles.

Authors note:

Well, it goes without saying that this chapter was much lighter than the last. I was also very encouraged by all the positive feedback I got after the last chapter. I had wished to finish writing this chapter sooner, but found that I spent a lot of time creating the Jade Elephant Suite, once again in ms paint. I'm not exactly happy with it 100%, but it was quite the challenge to create a whole suite and not just a room. I find making a visual layout helps me with working out their actions as well as keeping with continuity. I have replaced Study Room Number Three with The Jade Elephant suite for the time being. I need to find a way to put them in a place where they can all be seen.

For those who have stuck with me even after the last chapter, thank you for your continued readership! So let me know, what do you guys think about Bubbles the owl? Do you know who the second letter was sent to? How do you feel about Draco Obliviating Filch? What are your thoughts on the Jade Elephant suite? Did I get the house elf speech pattern down ok?

Until next time let me assure some of those who are asking, yes, Harry and Ron's characters are intentionally being portrayed this way for reasons you will find out later. In fact, there is a lot you will find out later, just keep reading and reviewing and we will all watch the stats climb again. Let's see if we can break last month's records!

And here are the stats:

October finished the month with a total of 7,084 Hits and 2,713 Visitors to this story, the largest amount of hits in one day being 1.57 k on Sunday the 30th of Oct, the day ch 7 was posted. With the start of a new month the stats are reset, so instead of doing a chapter by chapter breakdown I will just be posting the current month's total stats with a reminder to the previous months. I will add it all together when I post the last chapter, but we still have a few chapters to go. The other half of the stats are maintained by my own tally system in my email and will be able to remain the same:

Story alerts: 82, reviews: 38, pm:1, Favorite Story:37, Favorite Author: 4, and Author Alert:2


	9. The Deceit and the Apology

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

Hermione's sleep was disturbed when there was a shift that resulted in a slight drop in the temperature. She groped about in her sleep, trying to find the source of warmth that disappeared. Her hands found a pillow, which was only slightly as warm, but had the same spicy smell to it. She clutched it to herself, determined to stay asleep. Through her closed eyelids she heard a soft chuckle, followed by a rustle and a click. She felt the breeze flow into the room and she hugged the blankets closer to herself, clenching her eyes tighter. There was a small thunk followed by a harsh screech.

"Give me minute Bubble, I didn't have anything ready, I was beginning to think you might not come until tomorrow." She heard Draco say, followed by footsteps. She heard the squeal of an old hinge and a clack that sounded like a cabinet opening and closing. All these sounds began to entice her interest. Opening an eye she watched as Draco gave an owl something that it gobbled up greedily. The owl was rather large with bright orange eyes, and was perched on the chair next to the study desk. After it finished its snack it stayed there, waiting to see if Draco would need its service before it left.

At the same time Draco was tearing through the package that the owl had dropped onto the desk. He discarded the accompanying letter onto the desk without reading it, focusing instead on the other contents of the package. He pulled out a mint colored cloth, shaking it out in front of him. The view of it was blocked by his body, but it was definitely a dress. He tossed it on the desk next to the letter then he pulled out a small item that she couldn't see at all, she just caught a glint of light before he stashed it into his pocket. He crumbled up the packaging paper and tossed it into the waste bin, giving attention to the letter at last. He read the paper quickly before folding it up and placing it into his back pocket. When he turned and noticed she had been watching he grabbed the mint dress off the desk and tossed it to her.

"Here, go get changed into a proper dress, you probably don't want to stay in that terrible towel thing any longer." He said with a slight blush at his creation. She caught the dress; the fabric was light chiffon with silver metallic thread. Even without putting it on she could tell it was lovely.

"I don't know," Hermione said with a playful hesitation, "Dobby seemed to really like the dress you made me, I even told him you would make him one for the holidays." He scoffed a bit as she said this, but she wasn't there to hear it as she had ducked into the bedroom to change.

It was a decent sized room with the same magnificent view of the lake. She hastily changed into her new dress. Other than being a bit tight in the chest area it fit her nicely. Looking into the mirror she saw that it was a dress that could easily be the dress of many girls' dreams. Along with the mint green chiffon material and the metallic silver threading, the dress had a defined waist, pretty little cap sleeves, flower embellishments-the whole lot. Normally Hermione wasn't one for all these things, especially together, but somehow on this dress it seemed to work. Hermione gave a quick twirl in front of the mirror before heading back to the main room.

"This dress is perfect, thank you!" She said, announcing her entrance into the room. Draco turned away from the desk where he had been sitting, reading the letter over again and writing a response. He looked at her over the top of his glasses, their eyes meeting for an instant and they both blushed. Hermione looked away first as he continued to stare at her. She heard him clear his throat before speaking.

"Here, put these on as well, they match and your feet won't be cold this way," He said while offering her a pair of mint green flats. She didn't remember seeing him pull them out of the package, but then again she still didn't know what he had in his pocket either. She walked across the room and took the shoes from him. The material was similar to that of the dress, but seemed a bit sturdier, however it was what covered the front of the shoe that attracted her immediate attention. What must be more than a hundred small diamonds covered the toe of each shoe, and knowing Draco Malfoy, they could indeed be very real.

"Don't you think these are a bit much?" she asked, hesitant to put them on. She sat on the couch, holding the shoes in her hands.

"No, not at all, they seem perfectly fine to me." He said casually, returning to his letter.

"Seriously?!" Hermione's screech caused the owl to turn and hiss at her, scolding her for being so loud.

"Yes, seriously, there is no need to be so shrill." Draco said, agreeing with the owl on the chair. He must have been finished writing the letter as he signed it with a flair then sealed it and handed it to the owl. "Take this letter to mother," He instructed the owl. When the owl cocked its head to the side in a gesture of confusion Draco sighed. "Mum, take this letter to mum. Can't you understand for just this once that when I instruct you to take something to mother that it is the same as when I say mum?" The owl clucked at Draco, as if laughing at him. "Bubble, just take the letter and you can rest!" Draco sighed once again as he shooed his owl out the window, closing just as the bird's tail feathers cleared the sill.

"Bubble?" Hermione asked with a small giggle. Draco groaned.

"The stupid bird you just met is my eagle owl Bubble. I named him that when I was young and it stuck. He is usually an intelligent creature, but sometimes I swear he is messing with me. Just put the shoes on," he said, taking the shoes from her and kneeling on the floor. Holding her feet one by one at her ankles he slipped the shoes on for her. _I feel like Cinderella_, she thought, _only her prince charming wasn't wearing such endearing glasses._ Once on, she stuck her feet out to admire her new shoes. _Yes, just like Cinderella, they fit perfectly._

"Well, I think if we leave now we will make it just in time." Draco commented while standing.

"Leave? To where?" She looked to him in shock, she felt safe here and wasn't quite ready to leave just yet.

"To dinner in the Great Hall," He replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He stopped midstride on his way to the stairs, "Oh, I almost forgot," He said nervously, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the small item from the package, but kept his fist closed about it so she still couldn't see what it was. Curiosity always got the best of her.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, her eyes straying back and forth from his hand to eyes.

"Remember my Muggle Studies homework you helped me with that first night? The one that you told me about the friendship bracelets muggles wear?" He spoke tentatively, waiting for her to respond before continuing. When she nodded he went on, "Well in the wizard world we do have something similar called a connectens circuli." She saw something flash quickly through his eyes, and it was gone before she could figure out what it was. "If we were to wear a set, I would be able to tell if you needed me; if we were to be in completely separate parts of the castle and you were hurt or being threatened, I would be notified and be able to find you right away." Always eager to learn new things about the wizard world, Hermione listened intently.

"How does this work?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Magic," He said with a grin, when she frowned he went on with a small explanation. "There are a few things that have to happen in order for this to work properly. You see, this is not a one way charm; it goes both ways, so both parties have to admit to a few requirements and be willing to put it on." He looked at her straight in the eye, unblinking as he took her hands in his. She could feel the warm press of metal in their hands as he asked her the first question, "Hermione Granger, would you be willing to wear this amulet of the Malfoy family?"

"Yes, I would," she replied breathlessly, her mind racing about all the possibilities in which it would be helpful, one of the main ones being that she wouldn't be trapped in this safe room as nice as it was.

"Good," He replied, "Do you concur that I, Draco Malfoy, have been able to provide all of the essential needs of life for you, and trust that I will continue to do so?" Hermione thought about this one for a moment, making a mental checklist of things he has done for her. He did provide food and water for her earlier when he asked Dobby to stock the kitchen and bring them lunch. He had provided her with clothing, first with the towel dress, and now with her new one. Shelter he provided in the form of the room they were currently in. On top of the basics he had also provided her with sanitation by the prefects' washroom, education with the Lower Library, and healthcare by tending to her wounds.

"Yes," she decided, "You have met them if not exceeded them." He let out a breath and went on with the next question.

"Now that we agree that I meet the requirements I must ask if you feel that you do and will continue to meet the other half. Hermione, do you feel like you nurture, support, and teach myself, along with those in need?" It was an odd question that had her furrowing her brows. What does he mean by all this? "Just answer the question Granger!" he said impatiently.

"I suppose I do that, I'm not entirely sure if that is a completely me thing or a Gryffindor thing…"she began when he interrupted.

"There is no 'I suppose' in this, only a 'yes, I do' or a 'no, I don't' will work here." His eyes captured hers as he spoke and she knew there was only one answer.

"Yes, I do."

With those words said a strong pulse of magic shot through her, followed by smaller waves that vibrated within her. She watched as he opened their hands, revealing the talisman that was made out of two snakes intertwined with one another. The snakes then did something she did not expect, with a sharp exclamation she yelped as one bit her only to slither up his wrist, wrapping itself around him. At the same time the other snake did the opposite, biting him and retreating to her, wrapping itself where until recently she had worn her watch. The snakes' eyes flashed before they went to rest about their wrists, accompanied by one final discharge of that magic tore through them. After a moment of shock she said the first thing that came to her mind.

"You didn't warn me that it was going to bite me!" She grumbled while inspecting two small lesions on her fourth finger.

"Would you have gone through with this if I had told you?" He questioned, and begrudgingly she realized she would have.

"Still, a little warning would have been nice," She pouted.

"I'm sorry," He said, a slight touch of sarcasm in his voice as he spoke in an over exaggerated manner, "How is this? Oh, by the way, if this is successful it might bite, but just a little bit!" Dropping the voice he looked to her, "Better?"

"What do you mean if this worked? Why wouldn't it work? What would have happened if it didn't work?" She began to get more worked up over these what if's than the actual bite.

"There was a chance that it wouldn't work if you didn't trust me or had any leftover negative feelings towards me. If it didn't work nothing would have happened, it would have stayed dormant and I would have sent it home. But it did work and now we really must go into the Great Hall for dinner." He began to pull on her hand, leading her to the stairwell.

"Why would we have to go? We have food here," she said adamantly, pointing to the small kitchen.

"Hermione, please trust me," Draco said with a small trace of hurt in his voice, "you will be safe. I will enter the Great Hall with you, and we will leave together. No one can hurt you now. Now please, let's go eat." Hermione was still a bit doubtful, but allowed him to escort her to the Great Hall.

o0o

They entered the large room together a little late; everyone else had already been seated. When they walked in together they got many strange looks as he was still holding her hand, towing her into the room. He walked with her to her table, depositing her on the far side of Longbottom and next to Finnigan. Draco glared at Weasley, who quickly looked away. He looked about, intent on giving Potter the same treatment, only to find he was not there. He gave Hermione a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before heading off to his own table.

Sitting next to Blaise he began to pile food onto his plate. He wanted to remember a great meal to go along with what he considered a great day. Next to him Blaise angrily stabbed at the contents on his plate, shoving them into his mouth without grace. Around him the other Slytherins looked about, tittering to each other as they pointed from him to Hermione. Across the way from him Graham finally asked the question that many were whispering.

"What's gives Malfoy? Walking in here with her? Is there something we should all know about?" The Slytherin table became quite as they waited for an answer. Deciding it was for the best to let them know, Draco stood and pulled his sleeve back, exposing the silver snake that was about his wrist. There were several gasps from the table upon its sight. Pansy even shrieked before fleeing the room.

"She is under my protection from hence forth, and anyone who dares to harm her will feel my wrath. I will not explain myself to any of you more than I already have." This quieted half the table, but the other half doubled in their excited whispers. He sat back down and turned to Blaise, "Where is Potter?" he asked.

"Does your mother know?" Blaise ignored him, sending out his own query.

"Yes and no, now answer my question, where is Potter!" Draco watched as Blaise mutilated his meal between bites. "Blaise, this is important!" he urged.

"Whoever Potter was seeing recently dumped him." Blaise said, as if that answered everything.

"I don't see the relevance between that and his current location!" Draco snapped at him.

"Just because you were able to slap your Contegam Uxorem, the Res Hareditaria de Malfoy on your Gryffindor pet doesn't mean we all have had the same opportunity." Draco looked at Blaise, very confused at what Blaise was trying to say. Glancing to Hermione at the Gryffindor table he realized that Potter wasn't the only one missing.

"The Weasley girl? What does she have to do with Potter's location?" Draco seemed to answer his own question as he spoke it. "Oh, Blaise, I um, I'm sorry, I mean I kind of knew you fancied her." Blaise threw down his fork in anger.

"I was so stupid! I should have said something while I had the chance! I thought I would have more time than this! When Potter turned her down the other day I thought I would gradually do things my own way! But now that Potter's secret girlfriend has dumped him he decided to take her up on her offer! She should have said no! He made it clear she was not his first choice, and yet the moment things change for him she happily takes him!" Blaise pulled on his hair as he ranted.

"Did you try and stop her?" Draco questioned when he probably shouldn't have said anything more on the subject.

"Why? What would that do? She wanted him! She has no idea that I want her! She would probably laugh in my face had I tried! Forse ho perso il mio vero amore per sempre al laghetto feccia, tutto perché sto merda di pollo! " Blaise said though his misery, his language slipping into his childhood tongue. Draco couldn't help but to laugh at that last bit. "So now that I have admitted this to you, Draco, you must tell me how this," he said pointing to Draco's wrist, "happened. And tell me the truth."

"The truth?" Draco asked, "The truth is, long story short, she helped me with a Muggle Studies project on friendship bracelets, and later I gave her this, telling her it was the wizard equivalent." Blaise laughed at this and shook his head.

"Solo il mio amico poteva tirare fuori un matrimonio procedura guidata, senza la sposa, anche sapendo che è accaduto! Please tell me you didn't feed your mother that same story! I am surprised she would even send it to you if she had gotten that version!" Blaise was torn between his own grief at his loss and his mirth at his friend's conundrum.

"Of course not. I told her only what she needed to know, and as you know my mother dotes upon me so, and that my father does as she says. One may call me spoiled, but I'd rather say I turn situations to my advantage." Draco said, eating his meal with as much dignity as a person could have whilst saying he got what he wanted once again because he was a rotten brat.

"As I said before, solo il mio amico." Blaise had calmed down enough to eat like a normal person. "If only I had your luck, if only..." He sighed wistfully.

"And as you have known me to say before, I don't like to attribute to luck what I find lies only in ambition." They continued the rest of the meal in silence, Draco's eyes not leaving the Gryffindor table.

o0o

Hermione felt nervous the moment Draco left her. She almost felt she would feel better sitting with the Slytherins! _Imagine that, a lion feeling more at home in the house of serpents than in its own den!_ But never the less she stayed at her table, safely between Neville and Seamus. She had noted Harry's absence almost immediately, and that gave her more courage to stay.

"Hermione," Neville said cautiously, "Why did you walk in holding hands with Malfoy?" Hermione really didn't feel ready for this, so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I fell!" _Stupidstupidstupid!_ She mentally berated herself.

"Oh." He said at first, as if that should have been the obvious answer. After letting it sink in and seeing that it still didn't make much sense he tried again. "But that doesn't explain anything at all!"

"Like I said, I fell at the stairs and Malfoy was there, he caught me and made a comment about muggle feet not working like proper feet should. He then grabbed me saying he ought to make sure I make it to the Great Hall, least he be blamed for pushing me down the stairs!" She noticed she was talking really fast and made a conscious reminder to herself to enunciate more clearly the next time.

"That still doesn't add up quite right Hermione," Seamus butted in with his Irish brogue, "since when would Malfoy even be anywhere near nice to any of us Gryffindors?"

"You know he isn't all bad! You know as well as I do if it weren't for politics he and I would have been Heads together!" Hermione decided to pad her lies with a bit of truth. The school board felt it was best to pick Heads from neutral parties. "And they wouldn't even have suggested him if he hadn't grown up, now would they?"

"But that still doesn't explain your new dress and matching bracelets," Neville said, motioning to Draco who was proudly showing off his own. Hermione suddenly wished her perfect dress had long sleeves instead of the short cap sleeves that it did.

"Oh, this dress," She said, trying to sound innocent, "My mom sent to me as a birthday present, you know my birthday was not too long ago, and I just haven't had the chance to wear it until now." She said smiling, hoping he didn't ask about her extremely fancy footwear. "And as for these," She said in regard to the snake bracelet, "They are simply friendship bracelets; we have decided to try to help inter-house relations."

"Sure, Hermione, that's a _friendship_ bracelet, to promote inter-house _relationships_," Neville said, emphasizing a few words. "Never mind, you would have told us if you had wanted us to know, it's none of our business." Neville and Seamus both went back to their meals, the tone in the air felt like she had somehow insulted them. _And what was Neville trying to get at?_ While she was trying to puzzle that out she caught Ron working on getting her attention. At first she was going to just ignore him, but he persisted, even going as far as to toss a dinner roll at her head.

"What Ron!" She snapped at him as it bounced off.

"Sorry," He said sheepishly, "Not just for the roll hitting you, but for, well, for everything. In fact don't worry about doing my assignments, I'll either figure them out myself or fail."

"You can't just say sorry and think I will forgive you, I may never forgive you Ronald Weasley!" Her eyes began to sting with beginning of tears. "I would be happy if you were to never speak to me again!" she turned away, sincerely not wanting to speak to him again.

"Hermione," His voice came out all shaky, "I accept that what I have done is truly unforgivable, but I want you to hear what I have to say first." He waited for a response of any kind, but continued anyway when he received none. "After we, well, after you left and we came to Harry and I had an awful row. I hated myself for what we almost did to you, and what we did do. I just got so caught up in it all, so caught up in him. Something has been different about him since our first kiss." He lowered his voice at this part so no one would hear him, "He seemed to have everything all planned out, and it seemed great…well, not all of it, but I still went along with it.

"But after last night, I couldn't keep going with him; I didn't want to do it anymore. So I broke it off. We aren't whatever anymore. I'm just," He took in a deep breath to steady himself, "I'm just so confused. And sorry. So sorry, and I would take it all back if I could, but since I can't all I can do is make things right again." He looked down at the table for a moment before speaking again.

"You know it makes sense now, our failed grades! I thought it was odd that you might list the ill effects greasy hair would have on a potion. That's what tipped Snape off that we cheated. Apparently he has a spell that will return a parchment to blank so he can watch our thought process as we write. So even though it had been erased on the visible draft he still saw the comments. He gave us immediate T's, saying he should have been suspicious from the start when he thought that we weren't nearly smart enough to write papers like that. We didn't understand why you would write those comments, and Harry had been so mad….but you didn't write them, he did, didn't he?" Ron said, nodding towards Draco.

"Yes," She admitted, letting him know she had listened to his apologies and confessions. "He has been helping me. He still is." She looked across the room at him fondly, and the snake on her wrist gave a light and reassuring squeeze, just as he had when he left her earlier. "Thank you Ron, it takes a lot of courage for someone to apologize after they have done something wrong, and the greater the wrong the harder the apology. But I don't feel as though I am ready to forgive you. I'm not sure I ever will."

"Like I said, that's fair. I just wanted you to know …." He trailed off, not wanting to say it again, but also not sure what to say next. They sat in silence for a moment, not sure where to go from there.

"Hey," Hermione said to no one in particular, "Where is Ginny?"

"Not sure," Ron replied timidly, "I think she might either be in her dorm or the infirmary, said something about feeling sick to her stomach and left."

"Oh, well, I hope she is feeling better. In fact, I'm full, so I think I might go check on her," Hermione stood, taking her excuse to leave. The table was all types of awkward for her, and she'd had her fill of that for the night. Across the Hall Draco stood, following her across the hall and meeting her at the door on their way out.

oOo

Authors note: Pictures that inspired the dress, shoes and bracelet are posted on photobucket. Search for sneaky-teaky.


	10. The Confrontation

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

When Hermione and Draco reached the fourth floor, Hermione continued to climb the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked from the fourth floor landing. She had agreed with Draco earlier that it would be for the best to stay in the Jade Elephant Suite for a few nights, even with their protective friendship bracelets.

"To the Gryffindor tower," Hermione answered. Bearing in mind the worried look on his face, she elaborated. "My cat, Crookshanks, is up there and no one cares for him other than me so he is probably rather hungry. Plus I want to grab toiletries and clothes." Seeing he was still not entirely sold on the idea of her going into the Gryffindor tower, she offered a compromise of sorts. "You can walk with me to the portrait if you like."

"If I would like? Like I would let you go up there alone," He nearly growled.

"I will be fine, the stair to the girls dorm in Gryffindor is charmed to turn into a slide when a boy steps foot onto it." She said trying to placate him.

"That is still one step too close." He maintained. She couldn't understand this new extra protective quality. They had the bracelets now, he said she would be safe with it on, and she trusted him.

"You said I would be fine on my own earlier, you even let me eat with the Gryffindors a moment ago! Now I can't even go into my own common room?" She argued with him as they continued to climb the stairs.

"Yes," Draco said in a clipped tone, "I let you eat with them in the Great Hall where I could see you the whole time. I can't see you if you go into there. Come on, let's just go to the Jade Elephant and call it a night. We can send some other girl in there to retrieve your stuff later. Shit, I can buy you all new stuff; you don't have ever have to go in there again!"

"Not to sound ungrateful, I really do appreciate all you have been doing for me, but why are you being like this?" Hermione said, pausing on the stairs.

"Being like what?" he ground out.

"Being so protective of me? You don't owe me anything, yet here you are, being so nice to me, going out of your way to help me? Why?" Her eyes searching his for the answers she felt she needed.

"Why?" he repeated, "You were threatened by your friends. When you told me what they were doing to you that evening in the library, I told you I would help you. What I didn't say was that I would protect you, that I kept to myself! And the one time I let you out of my sight they attacked you! Now you think everything is back to normal because you had a lengthy conversation with the Weasel? Yeah, I saw him talking to you and it took everything I had not to go over there and pummel him for even being near you again. What could you have been talking about with him anyway?!"

"He was apologizing!" She shouted at him, slightly louder than she intended to.

"Oh! So everything is ok now because he said he was sorry? I didn't realize I was missing out on the big Gryffindor love fest over there!" Whatever he was about to say next was cut off by the loud crack that was Hermione's hand across his face. She held her hand close to herself, the sting of the slap ringing through it.

"How dare you say that to me? After all I have been through! I don't remember asking for your help, all I asked was for someone to believe me!" Tears were running down her face as she yelled at him. Turning her back to him she sat down on the steps and began to quietly cry into her hands. She didn't hear him walk over to her, but she did feel him pull her into a hug.

"I'm sorry," He breathed, "I didn't mean it like that. I was just scared, scared that you were going to forgive them and get hurt again." She curled into his chest, crying once again for herself and everything that had happened to her recently. Through her whole fit he held her, rubbing small circles onto her back until her sobs softened.

"I said he apologized, I didn't say I quite accepted it," She said between hiccups. "I told him I might never forgive him."

"Good, you shouldn't." He said simply, placing a small kiss on her temple. The small action made her heart melt a little on the inside. She met his eyes and couldn't even begin to decipher what he was thinking. She stared at him questioningly until he blinked and stood up. "I suppose we should head up these stairs and get your cat; we still have a floor and a half to go! I am happier than ever to be a Slytherin in the lower levels, there are a lot less stairs to go through daily this way!"

"True," she countered through her sniffles, seeing he was trying to cheer her up. _He can really be sweet when he wants to_. "But you will all get fat and lazy while we Gryffindors will all be in great shape!"

"Really now?" he smirked; "We will see who is in better shape!" he took off up the stairs, wanting to race her to the top. She got to her feet and tried to go after him, but she was still much too sore to even go faster than a normal rate. He was far ahead of her and had looked over his shoulder to laugh, when he saw how far behind she was and how much she was struggling to catch up. Grimacing at his own foolishness he slid down the banister, hopping off next to her. She opened her mouth to chastise him, only to find a small yelp come out in its place as he scooped her up and bounded up the stairs. Hermione screeched and laughed as he carried her up the remaining flights of stairs.

Arriving on the seventh floor he had her direct him to the portrait of The Fat Lady, refusing to put her down until they arrived. The Fat Lady looked at them with a mild distain as Draco had rounded the corner, Hermione over his shoulder laughing. He sat her down and they stood there laughing for a moment when the Fat Lady cleared her throat.

"Password Please," The portrait spoke, eyeing them both suspiciously.

"Athwart Pylorus," Hermione spoke the strange password while suppressing a giggle. The Fat Lady didn't share in their amusement, choosing to merely swing backwards on her frame while giving Draco the stink-eye instead of commenting.

"I'll wait right here, but if I see any signs that you are in danger you better believe I will come charging through that wall if I need to!" Draco said, earning a 'harumph!' from the Fat Lady and a smile from Hermione.

"I won't take long, like I said I just need to get my cat, I've missed him, and my toothbrush!" She called out as she entered the Gryffindor common room. The room was still empty; everyone was still eating or finishing up. The moment Hermione walked through her dormitory door Crookshanks was weaving around her ankles. Walking over to her bed, she pulled a duffle bag out of her trunk and began to fill it with things she would need. While retrieving her toiletries she turned back to the bag only to find Crookshanks had climbed into it, settling himself in.

"Silly cat," she exclaimed while scratching him behind the ear, "Of course you are coming with me this time!" Crookshanks meowed at her then moved to the side so she could finish filling the bag without him actually leaving it. All packed she grabbed the duffel with her cat, ready to flee the tower for the safety in the Jade Elephant Suite. On her way down the stairs she heard a muffled crying coming from one of the younger girls' dorm. _That's Ginny's dorm_, she noted, knocking briefly before letting herself in.

"Ginny?" Hermione questioned the darkness. At the sound of her voice the sobs became more insistent.

"If Harry sent you to talk to me then I suggest you just leave! I don't want to talk about it!" The red haired girl wailed. The absurd idea that Hermione would do anything for Harry anytime soon almost made her laugh.

"No Ginny, it's just me, I haven't even seen Harry today," Hermione said truthfully. "I was just passing by and heard you crying. Are you ok?" She asked tentatively, unsure at what Harry had done to make Ginny cry.

"No!" Ginny wailed, burying her head under a plush pillow, "I am absolutely miserable after what happened tonight! I can't undo what happened, so things will never be ok again!" The young girl's cry was awful, and Hermione started to fear for what had transpired between Harry and Ginny. "I should have known better than to talk to him tonight! Something just felt awful and wrong! But you know how long I have fancied him, and he insisted it was important! So I did, and then it happened, and oh Hermione, I will never be able to look him in the face again! I could just simply die!" Hermione's heart dropped with every word Ginny said.

"Ginny," Hermione coached, "please, tell me what happened? I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"I suppose I will tell you, after all, what is done is done! But I warn you, it is truly awful." Ginny spoke from under the pillow. Hermione steeled herself for the worst. "I was on my way to the Great Hall, but I wasn't feeling well. I decided it would be best if I were to just go to bed early. I was on the stairs when I ran into Jimmy Peaks, and he told me that Harry wanted to see me, and to meet him by the Transfiguration classroom…oh, this is just so dreadful Hermione!" Hermione felt she could guess what happened next, and anger was beginning to build in her chest.

"Ginny, you don't have to continue if you don't want to," Hermione said darkly.

"No, no," Ginny insisted, "I feel like I must tell someone or I will never get over it!" Ginny paused to sniffle, still hiding her face under the pillow. "I was so happy to hear Harry wanted to see me after he turned me down earlier this week. I don't know if you have heard yet, I finally gathered up my courage and asked him out proper, only for him to tell me he was already seeing someone, and that it would be weird anyway since I'm his best mate's baby sister. Baby sister! To think I thought then I would never get over the shame of that! But this is so much worse!" Tears came to Hermione's eyes for the second time that evening, but this time instead of crying for herself, she was crying for her poor naive friend Ginny. As much as she had prepared herself, she was not ready for what Ginny had to say next.

"I was so excited, I stopped in a girl's room along the way to apply my new chap stick, and it was treacle tart flavored, just like Harry's favorite food! I still had that off feeling as I put it on, but I ignored it and went on to see Harry. I was so sure I was finally going to kiss him…how stupid of me!"Ginny paused in her narrative for a moment, and her body wracked with sobs. When she composed herself she went on with her story. "I got to the Transfiguration hall, and there he was, all perfect. He didn't stay that way for too much longer… I ran up to greet him, trying my best to ignore that bad feeling in my stomach. And then it happened…I am so humiliated Hermione! This is truly the worst that has ever happened to me!"

Hermione pulled the girl into a hug, and rubbed her back, much like Draco had done for her earlier. It was funny how one could be stronger for others than for themselves.

"Shh, Ginny, I know it may not seem like it now, but things will get better. Have you seen Madam Pomfrey yet?" Hermione asked, giving the very advice she herself should have followed. Ginny sniffled before replying.

"I probably should have seen her right away, but I felt it would go away if I just ignored it!" Hermione was shaking in rage, but kept her tone calm for Ginny's sake.

"Would you like to owl your parents at least and let them know what has happened?" She asked Ginny gently. This caught Ginny's attention, making her whole body freeze.

"My parents? Why on earth would I want my parents to know that I was finally about to get my kiss from Harry Potter and threw up in his face? It was embarrassing enough that it happened and that I ran away without apologizing! Oh, Hermione, please don't let anyone know!" Ginny pleaded with Hermione, finally pulling her face out of the pillow. Her eyes were all puffy from crying, but more prominently was the drying vomit on her chin and shirt. Hermione was so relieved that she couldn't contain it. She laughed as she repeated what Ginny had said.

"You puked in his face! This is great! Just wonderful!" Hermione began until she saw the look of shock on Ginny's face. "I mean, yes, this is awfully awkward, but it could have been so much worse!"

"What are you talking about!" the red head's temper flared and her voice became a screech not unlike her mothers. "I just told you the single most awful thing to ever to happen to me and you laugh at me? I was better off before you came in here, just go away and leave me alone!"

"I'm sorry Ginny, but I assumed something much worse had happened, and in comparison it's not that bad really…"

"What could be worse than throwing up on your long term crush's face?" Ginny snapped. Hermione debated on what to say, and how much, before she settled on part of the truth.

"Walking in on him snogging your brother?" Hermione ventured. Ginny gasped, scandalized.

"Why would you even suggest such a thing Hermione? You, being their best friend! What would you get out of slandering them?" Ginny tried to glare at Hermione while looking dignified, but failing miserably due to the vomit on her.

"You know I wouldn't say it unless it was true. I walked in on them a while ago…"Hermione trailed off, not wanting to divulge any more. Ginny became very pale as she tried to digest what she had just learnt.

"So when he said he was with someone… he meant my brother…" Ginny spoke slowly as she put the pieces together, "and then when they broke it off he was going to kiss me, with the same lips that kissed my- Oh dear, I think I'm going to throw up again!" Ginny leaped from her bed and retched into her trashcan. Hermione held her hair back so it wouldn't get covered in vomit.

"You should still see Madam Pomfrey for this bug you have Ginny." Hermione said, patting Ginny back before getting up to leave.

"I will." Ginny promised as she wiped her face on her sleeve.

"And Ginny?" Hermione looked the younger girl in the eye as she said her parting statement, "Don't put yourself in a position to be alone with Harry, I know it may seem odd, but trust me. There are a lot of…things…happening." Ginny watched Hermione walk to the door, her face puzzled.

"Ok, I won't," Ginny said, looking at Hermione reaching for the handle. "Hey Hermione," Ginny said as she touched the cool metal. "I want to say thanks, for listening and for the advice, and by the way, nice dress." Hermione blushed slightly as she opened the door. Hermione nodded at Ginny and then left the dormitory.

Hermione walked through the portrait she found things very different than it was when she left. Draco was having a polite conversation with the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady giggled as the portrait closed, speaking to Hermione.

"You should count yourself lucky girl," the Fat Lady said from behind her fan, "You finally found yourself a keeper!" Hermione blushed and averted her eyes.

"I think you're mistaken, we are just friends, see," Hermione said while showing off her friendship bracelet.

"I'll say!" the Fat Lady chuckled, "That's a nice piece there," She said to Draco, and he gave her a courteous smile.

"Of course, it's an Elric-Cellini, one of their earlier makes." Draco stated, Hermione was lost on the importance, but the Fat Lady smiled fondly.

"Ah yes, they always made the most beautiful things! I had a cousin who lived near one of their shops and I would love to visit her so we could go looking through the windows!" The Fat Lady sighed at her memories of youth and life. Hermione looked at the bracelet around her wrist, deep in thought.

"Sounds expensive," Hermione commented. The Fat Lady nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh, they always have been! We could only ever dream that we would ever have one of our own, and-"

"And it is time for us to go," Draco said, cutting the Fat Lady off. "It was a pleasure meeting you." Draco put the tips of his fingers on Hermione's elbow to steer her away from the portrait. She let him guide her to the stairs; the wheels in her head were spinning to put together all this information together. _There are just too many things to think of! Like, there has to be something more to these friendship bracelets, just what is it?_ Hermione thought, vowing to look it up next time she was in the library.

The fact that they were even friends after years of hating each other was very bizarre. Yet here they were, walking through the halls together towards a secret room they now shared. He was looking out for her, protecting her, being sweet to her. The times they studied together had been more than nice. They worked together very well. Then there was the morning she woke up with him next to her and the kiss. Why would he kiss her? Why would she kiss him back? Since then she had fallen asleep with him holding her twice! She had even been in the bath naked with him there! She blushed as she thought of how awkward that must have been for him.

Her friendship with Draco aside, there was her Gryffindor friends. It wasn't like Harry or Ron to act the way they were. There was just so much about it that still didn't make sense! She supposed she could attribute some of their actions to the candy from the twins, but that could only explain so much_. If it was all due to a candy, you'd think the boys would have gone to Fred and George to find a cure or a fix for the problem._ Even if the candy had made them homosexual, that didn't explain the violence towards her. Then after Ron broke it off with Harry, there was the incident with Ginny.

_Ginny!_ Hermione didn't want to think about what might have happened if the young girl hadn't been sick. Hermione was sure that whatever Harry's intentions were, they were not good_. Would Harry really attack Ginny if given the proper chance? Would he have had to attack her at all, seeing how eager and willing Ginny would have been at the chance of being with Harry? Why would Harry be interested in Ginny at all? Did it have anything to do with his recent breakup with Ron?_

Her thoughts continued to boil when they ran into the very wizard she was thinking angrily about coming into the stairs from the fifth floor. His hair was wet, and while he was wearing a fresh set of clothes he was carrying his shower supplies. Their eyes narrowed as they met. She saw him take in Draco's hand on her arm and how close they were standing. Draco pulled her closer, trying to put himself between Harry and her.

"Interesting," Harry said, "Is this why you turned down our offer? You have been too busy betraying us and shagging Death Eaters? You think that if you please him enough they will look the other way and not kill you for your dirty blood? You are wasting your time; they will not forget you are nothing more than a filthy mudblood!" Harry spat on the ground by her feet. Draco moved forward to hit Harry, but Hermione's hex hit him first. Harry hit the ground hard; his bathroom bucket flew out of his hand, sending his shampoo rolling down the stairs. He started to get up, straightening his glasses, only for her to hit him with another hex and propel his glasses from his hand.

"You will stay down!" Hermione growled. "You will not stand near me and say such awful things! We were once friends Harry, but you lost your privilege to speak to me all together. There was a time when you would have cursed the people who called me those names, there was a time you would have defended me against those who wished me harm. Now it is you who tries to hurt not only me, but you would also go after Ginny! This will not continue, you will stay away from her!" At first Harry laughed, he picked up his glasses and began to wipe the smudges from them.

"Why would I listen to you? You are always talking, but no one listens and no one cares." When he put his glasses back on and looked at her the smile fell right off his face. The small snake bracelet was no longer, the metal had twisted and stretched, the snake had grown to a length of three to four meters. It was wrapped around her upper arms and torso, its head rearing back ready to strike. A low hissing noise was issued from it, and Harry's eyes widened at what he heard the snake say. Hermione stood there, snake wrapped around her and wand extended toward his head. The fear she had earlier for Ginny now fueled her anger and courage.

"You are foul Harry Potter, and you will stay down!" she commanded. Harry lay prone on the floor stammering as she strode away.

"Tha-that's not possible, it's not true, i-i-t isn't!" Harry babbled. Draco couldn't help but smile as he followed Hermione's wake.

"Oh, but I think you'll find it is true Potter," Draco said smugly as he passed him, "Granger is back, and you are her bitch."

o0o

Instead of walking to the fourth floor in front of Harry, Hermione went farther to the second and took a back stair up, Draco being a step behind her along the way and her snake charm shrinking back to its normal size. When they entered their suite, she found she was still shaking with adrenaline from the encounter. Part of her wished she had stood up to him like that in the beginning, but she reasoned with herself that it was her talk with Ginny that had put things into perspective. Plus it helped knowing Draco was right there with her.

"So," Draco exhaled as he sat on the couch, "He attacked Ginny too? Does her brother know?"

"Not exactly, I do believe he was targeting her, but he didn't have a chance." She gave a small laugh as she recalled what happened. "She puked on his face then ran away from embarrassment before he could do anything. I don't think Ron knows yet, did I mention that he broke things off with Harry?" Draco laughed as he processed the news,

"Ha, serves him right!" Draco continued to chuckle as he spoke, "And no, you didn't but I had heard something about it while in the Great Hall. It wasn't direct, but I understood it. Just wait until Blaise hears this! Puked in his face! I would trade all the galleons in Gringotts to see that!"

"Why would Blaise want to know?" Hermione began to ask when there was a small tapping on the window. She looked over to see a small grey owl with yellow eyes staring in from the ledge. Opening the window she let the owl in. She didn't recognize the owl, but seeing how she and Draco were the only ones occupying the room it had to be for one of them. The owl was carrying a small leather satchel that advertized "Renee's Rentals: An Owl for Everyone!" She reached into the bag and there was an envelope addressed to her.

"It's for me," she said to Draco as she opened it, "It's from Fred and George!" she exclaimed as she scanned through the papers, "this doesn't make any sense!" Draco walked forward and reached for the papers. "It looks like a response letter, but I haven't sent them any owls yet this year!"

"I did." She looked at him at this admission. "This morning, after we found the suite and I went out. I wrote to them in your name, I didn't think they would write back to me, especially on something so personal. What does it say?" he said gesture to the letter. She motioned for him to come read it over her shoulder.

_Dear Hermione,_

_When we got your owl we were very surprised. It wasn't that we didn't remember the incident, no one could forget something as gross as seeing your younger brother play tonsil hockey with another bloke! No, it was more of the fact that it was still occurring. _

_You have to trust when it comes down to things we are men of science. This is why we test all of our products before we make them available for consumption and use. We will admit, with the help of hindsight, that it is not entirely ethical to test on subjects that are unaware. Well, if we were completely honest our revelation is largely due to the fact that we cannot account for all the unintentional side effects if the test subjects cannot tell us how far off our speculations are from what happens. _

_So, due to the fact that we are men of science we had to try the experiment again to see if it was an isolated event or if we could garner the same results more than twice. Before you ask, yes, all further test subjects were willing volunteers that we paid a fee to. We tested multiple times on various groups. We tried on people who were friends and strangers, of different sexual preferences, on different gender combinations. We ran all the different variables we could think of without any resulting in any of the side effects you mention. _

_The product we were testing was out our new trappy-taffy, its intended purpose was to trap ones mouth shut until the effects wore off. The way it works is that it attracts to itself, causing the mouth to be stuck shut. At first we suspected it was the attractive qualities that caused Harry and Ron to kiss. Our test result showed that in such small amounts, more so after they split it, is not enough to have any effect._

_We have come to the conclusion that their actions are not the result of our product but part of the fabrication of one of the two. If they are continuing to engage in these behaviors, as disgusting as that may be, they do so under their own free will. _

_I hope this somehow helps you with any of the difficulties that you are having due to our stupid brother and Harry. If anything this will make for an interesting Christmas break. We look forward to seeing Mum's reaction and the hilarity that is sure to ensue._

_With fun,_

_George_

_P.S. : Fred says hi, but as he didn't help write this as well as eating the last ice cream sandwich I told him I would not be giving him any credit for this owl! _

They both stood there as they let this all sink in. Hermione realized the owl was still there and gave him a treat, telling the small owl they would not be sending a return letter.

"So does this mean one of them is really gay? Or are they both?" Draco said aloud the question they both had been thinking, "And even if they were, that doesn't explain why they attacked you…hmm, I thought owling them would provide us some answers, but it would seem it just gave us more questions…"

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "it does look that way." The end had stifled into a yawn, and Draco gave her a concerned look.

"You probably should get some sleep, but you should put on some more healing balm before that. If you get it I'll help you." Draco said, knowing all the stairs couldn't have helped her bruising go down. She went to the bedroom with her duffle bag and changed into her pajama's before coming out with the balm.

"Hermione, those have got to be the world's ugliest pajamas in the world!" He laughed. She could feel her cheeks heating up with a blush.

"I believe in comfort over appearance. Plus they were a present." Hermione played the hem on her sleeve as she fidgeted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"A present from whom? Do you happen to have a cousin who is a clown? Come over here so we can get this balm on you!" She could tell he was teasing her to take her mind off the letter, and it was working. He opened the jar and the strong smell of cloves and mint filled the air. The air was cool against her back as he lifted the back of her shirt to apply the balm. He rubbed it on in a circular motion, leaving pleasing trails of heat on her back. He continued to rub her back even after it was covered evenly with the balm.

"Thanks," Hermione said, "that feels nice. I, um, I'll go take care of the other bit." She stood and left to the bathroom where she could take care of her more personal injuries as well as brush her teeth. The bathroom was found off the bedroom and was decently sized; the countertop and toilet matched the jade slab that made the fireplace and kitchen counter. The floor was a pink and grey tile that stepped down on the left side into a pool of water that made the bath. She took care of her business and felt much better now that her breath was minty fresh. She was walking back into the bedroom to settle into bed when she heard a soft knock on the door. Then she heard his voice through the door.

"Hermione, are you decent? I want to use the bathroom and grab an extra blanket"

"Yeah, come on in," She called out to him. He darted in the room quickly and didn't take too long. He stopped at a closet to pull out a blanket when she stopped him with one word.

"Draco?" Her voice was small and questioning.

"Yes?" He asked in response.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes were looking to the blanket in his hands.

"It is a bit chilly out there on the couch; I thought I would take a comforter for extra warmth." He began walking to the door, feeling he satisfied her question.

"Don't." Once again her voice halted his actions.

"Don't what?" He questioned.

"Don't go, stay here," Hermione said pulling the blanket next to her down, inviting him over.

"Are you sure?" His eyebrows bunched together. Hermione understood his hesitation. Sure they had slept next to each other a few times already, but each time it was a thing of the moment and unplanned.

"Yes. I don't want to be alone." She said sheepishly. Dropping the extra blanket back into the closet he went over and jumped onto the bed.

"Well, you don't have to tell me twice." He commented as he climbed in.

"I think I just did!" She shot back to him as she pulled the covers over her shoulder. He gave a small laugh as he snuggled into the bedding.

"Sure, if that's how it happened." Draco said as she rolled over to burrow into his arms.

"That's exactly what happened," Hermione declared. "Goodnight Draco. And thanks for everything."

"You're welcome, and goodnight Hermione." Draco said his arms around her and her head nestled under her chin. It took a while for both of them to really fall asleep, their heads whirling around in thought. So much could happen on a Saturday….

Authors note: A copy of Draco's letter to the twins is posted on Photobucket. Search for sneaky-teaky.


	11. The Past and the owl

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

Narcissa was in her sitting room when a familiar owl tapped on the window. She gave a small smile as she remembered how happy her son was the day they gave him the owl, but even more she remembered her husband's frustration as he tried to give the owl a more regal name.

"Hello Bubble," she spoke as she unlatched the window and the owl hopped inside. With deft hands she took the small roll of paper from the owl with one hand while the other picked up a small biscuit for the owl. Bubble took a bite from the pastry as she read the very short and to the point letter from her son.

_Mum, _

_I've found her. Send the package._

_With love, _

_Draco_

Normally Narcissa was the most regal and poised of all her friends, but these simple few words completely undid her. Clutching the paper to her chest she gave a brief squeal, though that small act alone was still not enough to express her joy and excitement. She had this huge urge to hug someone, but as no one was near she grabbed up Bubble. The bird squawked loudly in protest and she squeezed him and spun around several times before releasing him. Bubble was able to gain balance and flap his wings seconds before he would have smashed into a china cabinet. Rising towards the ceiling, Bubble perched on top of a nearby curio cabinet and watched as the lady of the house danced about the room. Bubble shrieked in warning, but he was too late as Narcissa tripped over an ottoman. It did not seem like the lady minded very much, as she continued to smile, although she did try to regain some of her composure.

"Wait right here!" Narcissa shouted breathlessly over her shoulder as she darted from the room. The owl gave a small hiss of displeasure as he began to preen his feathers. The footsteps in the hall had disappeared, leaving the owl to consider going back for the rest of his ruined treat. Bubble stretched out his neck and, finding it safe, glided down to the table and inspected the spread of goods. After all, she ruined his treat, so he was going to take some of hers. The footsteps were returning just as he was taking a sip of the lady's tea. Hurriedly he flapped his wings to return the window sill and watched as Narcissa came into the room with a package and wrote a letter.

_Dearest Draco,_

_I am thrilled you have found yourself a, what I presume to be, lovely witch to be with. As you know I cannot refuse your request as it is within your right, I just wish you had given more notice. Your father is away on business and will return on Tuesday, so expect us to pay a visit on Wednesday during your lunch hour. I will owl the headmaster to inform him of our visit and to let him know that we will be sitting in on lunch with you and your witch. It has been such a long time since your father and I have eaten at the Slytherin table, and it will be such a wonderful experience to sit there once again with the two of you. _

_Until then, with much love,_

_Mum_

Narcissa glanced over her letter with excitement before sealing it and placing it inside the paper-covered parcel. She checked the contents a final time before closing what would be one of the most important pieces of mail she had sent in a long time. She pulled out the dress, remembering the day he had picked it out.

_He was so young then, too young to understand the __ways__ of the world. Still, his parents knew a special time would come and that he would need everything to be ready. She had taken her young son window shopping with the explanation that one day he would meet a princess and need to offer her a gift. _

_At first he had wrinkled his nose a bit, saying that if she was really a princess she would have everything already. She had chuckled at her exceptionally bright little boy and __told him that that was__ why it was so important to pick out an exceptional gift. That had prompted him to ask why he needed to give a gift to some ruddy princess who __was__ obviously not a princess __if__ she __didn't__ already have one of everything. _

"_Because, my sweet boy, you will love this princess and will have to show her why she should give you a most wonderful gift, the gift of her heart."_

_He had scrunched his face up again, this time sticking out his tongue as well, but complied as they left the house to go on the search. They had walked through several stores, and must have looked at thousands of dresses before they found this one. Draco's eyes only skimmed past the dresses in bulk as they walked, most of his attention on the wizarding yoyo he had brought from home. It was charmed to blink between being visible and not as the child played with it. _

_They were on their way out of their umpteenth store when he had tugged on her sleeve. She turned to him, expecting him to tell her that he was tired and wanted to go home, only to see his wide eyes transfixed by something by the back racks._

"_That's my gift." He said plainly, as if he already owned it, yet someone else had it. She looked to where his small finger was pointing to see a young woman come out of one of the dressing rooms. The girl herself was unremarkable, but the dress and shoes she was wearing __were__ simply eye catching. The girl did a twirl before the floor length mirror, the light catching the small diamonds on the toes of the shoes. The dress, as pretty as it was, simply did not fit or suit the girl quite right. The waist and cap sleeves pinched at her skin, showing that she could indeed __afford__ to lose a few pounds. The chest sagged a bit in the front, highlighting exactly how small the girl's breasts truly were. In addition the shoes strained slightly in protest of the girl's wide and flat feet, aching for something more slender with a tad more length. The girl turned to the older woman standing near her._

"_I love it, I feel so pretty!" the girl rasped in a very nasally voice with an awful accent._

"_It wouldn't be too much to alter it I suppose..." The presumed mother replied, her voice equally grating on the ears, yet with an extra dose of pompousness. _

"_Mum," Draco spoke once again, splitting Narcissa's attention into two, "Tell that pig to get out of my princess' dress, she might ruin it!"_

"_Hush Draco," Narcissa said, her ears straining to hear the conversation between the girl's mother and the tailor. The mother waved her hand at the girl, but the tailor shook his head. Slightly put off the mother reached for her coin purse, but whatever the tailor said next must have really offended the woman as a loud scoff came from her direction. Narcissa pulled Draco along by his small hand, walking closer so that she may hear the transaction._

"_Let me repeat myself Madam, I refuse to alter this dress or sell it to you and your daughter knowing you have the intent to change it." The older man spoke flatly, as if it were he who was insulted by their suggestion that his dress wasn't perfect as it was. "Now if you would please have her change out of it, I have some very important business to attend to." Narcissa could tell the conversation had drifted towards the young __girl's__ ears, as she could see her face fall and became even __uglier__ in sadness._

"_MUMMY! Just offer him some more moneeeey! We have plenty from daddy number five's divorce settlement! Plus new daddy has sooo much moore! We can afford annnyything! Just get me this dress!" the girl said whilst stomping her feet, her hands balled into __fists__ at her sides. _

"_I already did Cecilia! The man said he wouldn't!" The woman shrieked to her daughter before turning back towards the tailor. "This is a garments store, you sell clothes. What the buyer intends to do with it once they give you the money shouldn't worry you! Now I am going to make a final offer and you will sell us this dress!"_

"_You don't understand, this dress is a one of a kind, made for a very special girl. If your daughter were her, it would fit, but as it doesn't, this dress is not for sale to you. Now this is going to be the last time I ask you to tell your daughter to remove herself from the dress and for the both of you to stop squawking like water fowl inside my shop!" The tension in the room was building until there was a loud pop. Both the woman and younger girl had disappeared, and in their place were two tan spotted mallard ducks. Narcissa and the tailor stood wordlessly, very much stunned. They looked to each other to see who had done the transfiguration, only to see neither of them was holding their wand. _

"_Can I have my dress now?" Draco's voice rang like a bell in the silence._

"_Excuse me?" The old man turned away from the ducks in his shop, his focus now on Narcissa's young son. _

"_I need that dress," Draco tried again; "It is to be a present for my princess." It only took the adults a few minutes to realize exactly what had happened there__;__ after all, it wasn't that uncommon in the wizarding world. The boy had been rather distraught at the thought of losing what he thought to be the perfect present, and in such an agitated state, he had preformed a random burst of magic._

"_Sir, I'm so sorry," Narcissa began to __apologize__ for __her__ son, only for the man to offer his hand to Draco._

"_No worries madam, I am sure the fine staff __of__ will certainly straighten them out." The store keeper offered Narcissa as he knelt and gave his full attention to the small boy. "So, this princess of yours, she is special yes?" _

"_Uhmm...I think that," Draco began with a shaky voice; he wasn't sure what to make of this adult. Most adults __liked__ money, but this one seemed to like dresses more. Plus no adult stoops down for a kid, yet here this adult was, __down__ at Draco's level. His bright eyes drifted from the man to the dress which lay on the floor. The smaller of the ducks was tugging on the hem, backing towards the door. Draco tore free of the man's hand so that he could swat at the offending animal. The former girl made a strangled squawk, releasing the dress and dashing towards her mother who was hiding under a clothes rack. Draco gathered the dress and shoes into his arms, trying his best to hold on to it all. He turned back to the man, standing as straight as a small boy could while holding so much. Looking very dignified he spoke with a now firm voice._

"_I am a Malfoy. We only like things that are special. So my princess will be special, and then a Malfoy. As a Malfoy she will want only special dresses, and this is the first of many special things she will have." There was a pause as the adult and child held eyes. Then without blinking the man smiled and asked,_

"_So, how do you plan on paying for them young sir?" _

_Narcissa let out her breath and smiled as her son flashed a triumphant smile towards her. As she was reaching into her purse to withdraw her money pouch she frowned as she saw Draco struggle to reach into his own pocket._

"_With this!" Draco exclaimed, producing the yoyo. "It's nearly new, and watch, it blinks in and out!" He demonstrated its action before handing it over to the man. The man pretended to inspect it, giving a wink to Narcissa as he told Draco that it was a fine trade indeed! Of course Narcissa did pay for the dress and shoes as an attendant wrapped the items up for Draco._

That day seemed so long ago, yet came back so vividly as Narcissa fingered the material. She held it to the light, giving it a good inspection. Her eyes landed on the bodice. Truthfully the girls of Slytherin had very slender figures, and certainly wouldn't fill out the top part. Not as poorly as the girl at the shop, but still, it wouldn't do for the girl to feel inadequate. It could even possibly been seen as an insult to them. Even as she remembered everything that had transpired at the shop she made the smallest of alterations with a twist of her wand. She added her note and the other items to the parcel, tied them up and gave it a small hug.

Bubble stuck out his leg expectantly for the package, only to receive a hand to shoo him off.

"I'm not quite finished Bubble, don't be so impatient. You and my son share that trait!" She said as she started writing a second letter and Bubble ruffled his feathers mockingly.

_Headmaster Dumbledore,_

_As you have undoubtedly noticed our young Draco has chosen a witch in which to bestow upon the Res Hareditaria de Malfoy. With your permission Lucius and I would like to pay them a visit at their table during lunch on Wednesday. Please respond promptly so that I may book this appointment into my husband's busy schedule._

_With much respect,_

_Narcissa Malfoy_

With a final smile she sealed her second letter with the family crest. After handing the parcel and letter to Bubble, she stood at the window and watched the sun glint off the –sometimes- majestic eagle owl's wings as he flew off towards Hogwarts.


	12. The Revealing

**Chapter beta:****Dark Akuma Hunter**

Pansy was furious. Not just mad, but absolutely-bloody-livid! Who did that witch think she was, waltzing around bearing the object Pansy coveted the most?! Things don't just happen; they are meticulously planned out years in advanced. Sure, it was never official, but Pansy was sure that somewhere in the workings of life she was lined up to be the owner of that particular Contegam Uxorem, the Res Hareditaria de Malfoy; made by Elric-Cellini especially for the Malfoys during the time of the renaissance.

Sure, she may have been a little overdramatic when she fled the Great Hall. But this was a big deal; this was Pansy's whole life! Plus the unfairness of it all was so hard to ignore. There had to be an explanation to it all. She was a smart witch; she should be able to figure it out…..

Granger must have drugged poor Draco, that must be it. But why? What would that Mudblood gain from imprisoning the heir to the Malfoy fortune in such a way…..OH. That sneaky little witch! She wanted what should have belonged to Pansy. Of course she would want the money, the fame, the prestige…and the control over the Purebloods. Granger always had it out for those who were obviously better than her.

Pansy would just have to make a visit to show her who the superior witch truly was.

oOo

Narcissa was humming happily as she busied herself in the sitting room. There were just so many things to do! Of course, many of them would need to wait, as a very important other person's input would need to be added. However, procrastination was one of the leading causes of stress, and Narcissa would have none of that! She had decided to get a head start on all these things when she was informed by an old house elf that there was someone waiting to speak to her in the floo. Upon entering the floo room she was surprised when she saw none other than the headmaster's face literally beaming from the cherry flames.

"Professor, to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?" Narcissa questioned.

"It seems that there have been several surprises for many recently," the headmaster answered in his usual manner where he acknowledges the question while not answering directly.

"I do suppose that is true," Narcissa began, "but as I have scheduled a visit soon it begs to ask why you are, in a manner of speaking, visiting me. Not that you are unwelcome by any means!"

"Ah," Dumbledore smiled, "That would be precisely why I am contacting you. I just wish to confirm a few things about your upcoming visit, if that is ok?" The old man's eyes twinkled through the blaze.

"Of course! What is it you need to know?"Narcissa smiled at the request.

"First, I believe congratulations' are in order. This is a happy day indeed. Second, I would ask that you visit during dinner; I hear the house elves are going to make a lovely lemon meringue pie. Also this would allow a more leisurely paced conversation as it would not threaten to infringe on class time." Narcissa nodded her agreement and Dumbledore continued. "Next is the question of which table you will sit at."

"Why, that is no question at all sir, as they are of Slytherin we shall take our meal there." Her response was confident, until she saw the glint in the eyes of the old man. He was smiling widely, as if something was very pleasing to him. "She is from Slytherin, yes?" Narcissa asked tightly. The old man shook his head in a negative nod.

Puzzled briefly she then asked, "Ravenclaw then?" She paused to allow him to answer. When given no response she tried again.

"Huffelpuff?" Nothing still.

"Surely not…."

Her eyes widened in slight horror as the headmaster's smile became exponentially large. She let the shock hit her and then she fought to regain her careful air of serenity. "Well then, I am sure an agreement of sorts will be made. After all, this was Draco's decision. If you would, might I know the name of the young girl?"

"I am afraid I have already said too much. I was under the assumption you knew. It may be best for your son to be allowed to inform you himself. Have a wonderful day Mrs. Malfoy, I look forward to your visit." And with that Albus Dumbledore winked out of vision.

"Gryffindor!" Narcissa exclaimed to herself, adding the task of making up a list of pureblood Gryffindors to her to do list, as she was determined not to be surprised again. If at least anything else was certain, there was one girl she knew it would never be. This made her laugh, "Imagine if it were to be the Granger girl, Ha!"

oOo

Draco lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Things were happening so fast. Well, almost everything. He was waiting for his turn to use the restroom, and it would seem like Hermione was determined to spend all day in there! Not that it really mattered, but there were a lot of things to talk about. Muggle Studies for starters. In his Thursday class he had chosen the watch, but a new assignment had been given and was due tomorrow… What was he thinking! Even in his thoughts he danced around the major things that were staring him in the face.

He was still avoiding the part where he would have to tell Hermione the severity of what he had done. How would she react?

How exactly would he make the Golden Boys pay for their actions?

His parents were coming in a few days. His mother had sent the package without asking for further details; those details would be the source of distress to his family, which in turn could create a larger problem for Draco.

"Uhg!" he breathed out as he flipped over, nearly clipping Hermione's cat. "I don't suppose you know how to fix this?" He asked the feline, who simply flicked his tail as he pranced to the head of the bed, once again taking over the pillows. It hadn't been easy but Draco and the fur ball had come to a sort of truce during the night. This truce included the conditions that Draco was to keep to himself on one side of the bed and surrender his pillow to the malicious fur ball. In trade Draco was allowed to sleep without additional scratching on his person. This wasn't exactly fair or even, but it got them through the night. The cat may not know it, but he had started a small war, one that Draco planned on winning; after all, Crookshanks was just a cat- sort of. As they continued their stare down Draco realized he was doing it again. Finding any excuse not to think about the unpleasant things he knew would follow his actions. He never really cared for consequences, whether they were natural or logical.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was taking so long, but I needed to floss." His train of thoughts were interrupted as Hermione emerged from the bathroom.

"Floss?" he questioned.

"Oh?" she seemed a bit surprised, "Um, I knew dental care wasn't a priority with wizarding folks, but I assumed you at least knew about it. Flossing is a way of removing stuff from between your teeth with a small string."

"I know what flossing is!" He sulked, "Just thought it was strange that you still do things the muggle way when there are spells for things like that."

"Habits die hard I suppose," she said with a smile. His eyes softened with that smile; sure, there were going to be some consequences for his actions, but they were going to be worth it. "Well? Hurry up! As nice as these rooms are I would like to spend my Sunday doing more things than just standing here."

Sunday. Sunday? SUNDAY!

"Crap!" Draco exclaimed while darting into the bathroom. Surprised at his sudden movements Hermione shouted at him through the door.

"I know I said to hurry, but I didn't think you would take me so literally!" Moments later he was rushing back out the door.

"Come on, I'm late!" he said, pulling on her arm as he hurried towards the stairs.

"Wait!" Hermione protested as she dug her heels into the carpet. "You are going to have to offer more information than that if you want me to run though the school like a maniac." He turned about and said one word.

"Quidditch!"

"Isn't it always quidditch with you wizards?" She rolled her eyes, "but I don't really see how this has any effect on me." Draco shifted his weight back and forward as he worked through his thoughts. With everything else on his mind he had forgotten about his quidditch practice. If they hurried he would be able to make it to his room to gather his equipment and then to the pitch in time for warm ups. Hermione was right though, this had no real bearing on her. It was cold and drafty outside today as autumn began to really take its hold. While as much as he wanted to keep her within her sights he knew she wouldn't agree to sitting in the cold stands waiting for him. And he would get there faster on his own. He still didn't like the idea of leaving her….

"Where would you go, what would you do?" he asked in a rush.

"Where else?" she responded with a small laugh, "Hello, I don't think we have met!" She extended her hand in faux greetings, "I am Hermione Granger, and I spend all my free time in the library surrounded by books and other people who only wish to study!" Of course it would be the library. He wagered between the public-ness of the library and his own safeguard that she would be ok. Between that and the fact that she seemed to be feeling better he decided to pick his battles wisely; he had a feeling she wouldn't like to be bossed around and made to follow him everywhere.

He grabbed her extended hand as if he were actually going to shake it in greetings, but used it to pull her into an embrace of sorts.

"Stay safe," he whispered into her hair before his lips skimmed her forehead. By the time Hermione blinked he was gone.

oOo

Pansy was growing tired of her wait. She had been standing in the same hall for most of the morning. But she was so sure of her plan. All she had to do was wait, so wait she did. She was beginning to think it was all for nothing when around the corner came one Hermione Granger.

"And the fly flew into the spider's web," Pansy announced, catching Granger's attention. "I knew that you would come to the library sooner or later. Even though it is now later, I have you now!" Granger gave her a dubious look and moved her hand to where she most likely kept her wand. "No need for that Granger, I just want to talk. A little talkity chit chat about how you are a no good thief!" Pansy's voice merged from sing-song to cracking with her accusation.

"I don't know what you are talking about Parkinson, now if you would excuse me I will be on my way." Granger stated as she tried to side step Pansy. Pansy hated that tone of Granger's. The one that suggested that she was better than she truly was. Pansy shot her arm out to block Granger's path once again.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. It's bad enough to drug Potter and Krum, but to slip some sort of love potion to poor Draco is low, even for you!" Pansy hissed.

"Once again I will say," Granger ground out, "that you know what you are saying is untrue. Unlike you I have no need for such potions. On top of that I have stolen nothing and Draco and I are just a sort of friends." Granger made to move again but froze at Pansy's shriek.

"Liar! You are a thief! You plan on taking everything from me! Starting with this!" Pansy's hand darted out, grabbing Granger's wrist and pointing to the metallic snake that began to shift about the wrist it currently called home. "This was to be mine! Somehow you tricked him into giving it to you! Well I am going to take it back, even if it means cutting your hand off to retrieve it! DIFFINDO!" Granger made to grab her wand to create some form of defense, but Pansy had been fast. However, Pansy's eyes changed from greed to disappointment as the serpent grew, deflecting the spell. Pansy yowled in distress; she may never set her poor Draco free!

"Seems to me that you are the liar here. Just want to talk my arse! You are making no sense; this is just a friendship bracelet! " Granger hissed, although doubt was forming in her eyes.

"Do you even know what that is?!" Pansy's eyes widened even further. "You don't, do you! You took the most precious thing from me and you don't even know what it is!"

"Enlighten me." Granger spat. Pansy composed herself a bit before continuing.

"That _friendship bracelet_, as you call it, is none other than the Contegam Uxorem, the Res Hareditaria de Malfoy!" Pansy said, triumphantly waiting for it to sink in.

"And that means what exactly?" Granger questioned.

"How can you be so stupid?" Pansy was at her limit. "It means I am done here!" If Draco hadn't told this stupid mudblood what it was before slapping it on her then Pansy wasn't sure what to make of it. At this point all she knew was that if she stuck around any longer she was liable to do something stupid herself that may land her in trouble. _Draco is stupid, who would want him anyway!_ With a final loud sniff she stomped away.

oOo

Hermione was confused as she watched Pansy Parkinson sulk away. Her eyes drifted down to the silvery snake wrapped around her wrist. The serpent was dormant once again, but it awakened many new questions for Hermione. It was time for some answers, and since she was on her way, what better place to be other than the library.

Inside the main library she went to work. She pulled out books on several topics ranging from magical items, connections, to a simple Latin dictionary. After several minutes she was able to put together some simple notes down to paper to help broaden her search. She knew that this was an heirloom of the Malfoy family, it didn't take a genius to figure that part out. She knew it was old and most likely expensive. It was this thought that reminded her of what the Fat Lady and Draco were talking about that night.

Elric-Cellini. That was the name of the maker! She flew from her desk back to the stacks, looking for any book that might be helpful with her research. It was while she was flipping through an old jewelry catalog that she found something. Elric-Cellini was a highly skilled Venetian bench jeweler in the 1600's. He was famed for making things only in sets in addition to his pieces having a wide magical variety. Adding this new knowledge to the term "Contegam" Parkinson had used Hermione was able to deduce that this particular set was designed to shield the wearer from a certain level of harm.

It was the "Uxorem" part that bothered Hermione Granger. That is if she was still indeed Hermione _Granger_.

oOo

Draco had been soaring through the air when the amulet on his arm tensed. He became worried and almost got slammed into by a backbeat bludger. He had to perform a sloth grip roll to avoid the heavy ball. Draco peeled off his intended course, now aiming towards the beater.

"NO COBBING DRACO," the captain bellowed, foreseeing what Draco was about to do. Graham flew closer so he wouldn't have to yell.

"I wasn't going to elbow him, just merely practice my Transylvanian Tackle, nothing illegal about that move," Draco protested.

"You know the whole school has a bias against Slytherins, no reason to give them anything to use against us. Remember, that is our surprise attack this year; by running a clean game the other teams will be so paranoid waiting for us to do something they will shake themselves off their broom! Now what's the matter with you today?"

Draco thought for a moment, his attentions on the snake that had reverted back to normal. Everything should be fine, but the worry continued to nag him.

"Nothing, I'm great." Draco lied as his mind was full of unrelenting thoughts full of events that may have caused the snake to tense.

"Alright then, better hurry before Zabini decides to Snitchnip you again, it was only funny the first time!"

Seeing on how the snake had only given a single squeeze and then nothing Draco decided to finish out practice. The worry over everything slowly melted away as he feinted about the sky. This was true relaxation; nothing could bring him down from these towering heights. That is, except for the small yet angry looking figure marching form the school to the pitch. There was a brief fight or flight idea that shot through his mind before he shook his head and tilted his broom towards the ground. Wind rushed through his hair as he sped closer to the earth. He pulled up to a stop a few meters from the ground and flashed her, what he hoped to be, an endearing smile. Maybe if he was charming enough he could slip through this impending argument and come out victorious on the other side.

He did wonder about his luck as her face remained stony.

"Do you know what this is?" Hermione demanded pointing to her wrist, and thus the snake amulet.

"Yes," Draco responded weakly.

"Well, now I do as well." She stated.

"I figured," Draco began, lowering his broom toward the ground then dismounting. "I meant to tell you, really, I just…wasn't sure how," he finished lamely.

"Wasn't sure how to tell me what? That you lied? That this isn't a friendship bracelet? That it is really a device created to defend a spouse from danger while informing the other? While we are on that note can you tell me since when were we each others spouses? Was that what all that ceremony was about? And when in all of this was I even consulted? I feel like I was taken advantage of in a whole new way, that this was all some big trick!" As she was seething in her anger he decided a little rock by his toe was very interesting. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

"What's there to say? Yes, I didn't tell you the whole truth, but I only did it to protect you! I didn't want them to hurt you again..." The pebble he had previously been moving with his toe wasn't so interesting anymore and he kicked it away. With that he finally looked up to meet her face. "But that's all, you have the rest wrong."

"How am I wrong? I looked it all up while I was in the library. I was originally going to do some of my school work when on the way in I had a run in with Pansy Parkinson. She had some really interesting things to tell me, even showed me how this trinket works by trying to take a slice of me!" Hermione's eyebrows were knit together as she thumbed at the ridge above the serpent's eye.

"That explains the disturbance," Draco commented to himself. "Look, like I said, you have part of it wrong. We aren't married, well not in the official sense of things. While it is true that these," he said this while gesturing to both his and her talisman, "were made to protect one spouse and strengthen their connection to each other, it's not permanently binding. In fact, the Wizengamot would throw it right out seeing how it doesn't match their criteria for a legal marriage." Draco felt uncomfortable admitting to this, but he wasn't sure which part made him feel this way. Maybe it was the part where he was planning on leaving out vital information again. Or maybe it was the part where he was growing to like the idea of being attached to her and feared she would leave him if given the chance.

"You keep saying things like 'official' and 'legal', but what does this mean outside of the Wizengamot Administration? Even within their bureaucracy there are many loopholes that may allow something such as this to stick! How can you be so sure about all of this?" She threw her hands up in exasperation.

"I'm sorry! Like I said, this was something temporary just to protect you! Besides, would it really be that terrible if this was for real? If this was permanent? I don't think it would be as bad as you are making it seem." Draco looked away from her, hiding the red flush that was spreading across his face. He hadn't meant to say something like that, but once he had he realized he had meant it.

When he finally looked back to Hermione he saw that she too looked a bit shocked with a tinge of pink in her cheeks, and he didn't think it was from the cold.

"I think," she began, biting her lip, "I think I need some time to take this all in, time to think about all of this."

"Then think, you're good at that," Draco said before impulsively stealing a kiss. It was short and chaste, but he had wanted to leave a small impression, "or don't think, it has worked in my favor so far." With that he mounted his broom and kicked off, wheeling into the air. He didn't watch her as she turned to walk back to the castle. With his eyes half closed he careened through the sky, precariously dipping up and down, urging his broom to carry him faster and faster to outrun life itself; for now he just wanted to lose himself in the motions. He wanted for at least a moment to be free of all his burdens.

He really hoped he had not just gone and messed everything up, that is one of the things he was good at.


	13. The Move Forward

Blaise watched his team seeker flit about the pitch, no longer interested in real practice. His own concentration fading he gave a quick whistle, catching Graham's attention. Blaise nodded over his shoulder towards Draco. Graham scowled before waiving Blaise off.

"Do what you want! I am only the captain!" Graham bellowed over the wind, "but I expect you two to run double drills later!" Blaise laughed as he chucked the quaffle towards Graham, blatching right towards Draco. When he finally caught up he reached out trying to snag Dracos broom in a sloppy attempt at blagging. When that didn't work he leaned forward to give himself a boots, this time effectively locking his handle with Draco's, blurting him right towards the Ravenclaw bleachers.

"Knock it off Blaise, now is not the time!" Draco said without heat, dislodging Blaise's broom from his. Draco performed a half felt Woollongong Shimmy, landing in their own Slytherin stands. Dismounting his broom, Draco let it lean against the barrier as he took a seat. Blaise followed not far behind, taking a seat next to the sullen seeker. He didn't have to wait long.

"Have you ever done something incredible stupid and not sure why?" Draco said in a soft breath, not waiting for an answer before he continued. "Last month if you had told me any of this was going to happen I would have replied with something sarcastic like, 'and Snape has taken up ballet and washed his hair!'" Blaise laughed with Draco at the thought of the head of Slytherin wearing a pink leotard doing pirouettes ending in a grand j_eté_.

"I feel like I am missing some vital parts to this, but am I wrong to think the great Draco Malfoy's luck is finally beginning to run out?"Blaise idly commented as he continued to watch the others practice. Draco's eyes however were glued to the castle, as if it contains all his problems in life. Which for the most part, it kind of did. "I am afraid I can't be of much help, unless you start telling me what is going on."

Draco gave a large sigh.

"She sort of found out," Draco began, "and then I sort of lied again…" he finished, he words trailing off faintly.

"Well then, I suppose you 'sort of' got yourself into quite the mess. Now how about you help a mate out and tell me what has been going on with you lately. Let's start with what I do know. You pulled out a very powerful family heirloom, got a very powerful witch to wear it, lied about what it was, have yet to tell your family whom it was for, um let's see," Blaise continued as he counted off on his fingers, "thrown away family tradition, oh, and yeah, all for a girl whom until recently you couldn't give a rats ass about! Now can you tell your best bloke, why? Why are you doing any of this, it doesn't quite make sense. I mean I understand your girl has looks and brains, but there are plenty others. Why go through so much trouble!" After finally saying what has been building up, Blaise let out a huge burst of air before letting himself fall back onto the bench, gazing into the sky.

"Just the other day you were spilling your woes about the she-weasel, excuse me, Ginny Weasley," Draco tossed out, trying to take some of the heat off himself. "'Merda di pollo', I believe those were your words."

"Ah, not so fast mate, this here is about you, not me. For now I have lost my chance, perhaps I will have another, on a day I am not going to make such a fessacchione of myself."

"Are you sure this can't be about you? I hear that Potter didn't get his chance to even talk to your Gryffindor, heard that she blew chunks into his face. Some bad stomach thing…." Draco said lightly, not sure if he wanted to go further into this discussion.

"Really!" Blaise said with a laugh before sitting up forcefully, "Ah ah ah, wait a minute, you can't shake me so easily Draco. I know you. Now what big lie did you tell the little lady this time?" Blaise took a strong hold of Draco's sleeve as the blonde looked like he might jet at any given moment.

"I might have led her to believe that this might not be what it just is…." Once again Draco was talking in circles to avoid the reality of the mess he himself created.

"Seeing on how you are not willing to just outright say it, let's back up again, how did this all start, I mean really?"Blaise questioned. When Draco didn't answer him immediately he shook his arm for emphasis, "come on now, out with it," He demanded.

Knowing he wasn't going to get out of it this time, and truly needed a friend to have his back later, he decided it was time to let it out.

"I guess you could say it started because you stood me up in the library," Draco began.

"Oh no, you are not pinning any of this on me Draco Malfoy!" Blaise began to interject.

"Come off it will ya? I'm not looking to blame, just listen."Draco paused, collecting himself while waiting for affirmation from Blaise that all that he was about to say would be kept in confidence. "So, I was in the library, bored and with nothing good to do. You were off tailing the Weaslette, yeah I knew where you slunk off to, Goyle and Crabb were in detention, and honestly I have been avoiding Pansy since the beginning of the year. So yeah, there I was in the library with the evening in front of me when I saw Hermione sitting there by herself." Draco sighed as he ran his hand through his loose hair.

"It wasn't supposed to be anything. I go over there, tease her a bit, and ruffle her feathers. I don't know, I guess out of the three she was always my favorite to pick on. She would just get so flustered and her face would go all pink and red….I didn't think it meant anything." He paused to sigh once again.

"Draco, as much as I'm glad you are actually opening up to me, I think we should keep the heavy breathing to a minimum, don't want the guys over there to get any weird ideas about us." Blaise said, trying to move Draco along. This only prompted Draco to put his face into his hands, and to heave an extra big sigh before continuing.

"That day was different. She wasn't responding to my taunts, it wasn't feeling sporty. Then I saw she was working on their homework, but when I grabbed it…" Draco paused for a very long moment, reliving that night in his mind. Blaise was about to prod Draco again, only to have to jump back as Draco burst from his seat, now pacing as he exclaimed, "Her own friend were using her! Those fagging idiots! They gave her the choice to do their work or to, to…" here Draco stopped in his pacing and turned, grabbing Blaise by the shoulders, staring him in the eye as he whispered, "Those mangy curds wanted her to be their fag hag and help them get their jollies!" Out of steam Draco sat heavily on the bench next to Blaise.

"Correct me if I'm wrong mate, but did you just tell me that Potter and Weasley are a, a, zona paio di fascine che lo apprezzano in groppa? Ora penso di essere l'unico che vuole vomitare!" It was Blaise's turn to stand and pace. "Scopare! Well I guess that's why Potter is always turning Ginny down, he likes the other Weasley!"

"Yeah, well, even though it seems he is an outright uphill gardener, it doesn't appear that Potter is too picky. We got them one bad grade and they came after her," Draco growled out, hitting the bench next to him with his fist.

"They what?!" Blaise exclaimed.

"I told Hermione that I would help her do their work, like I said, it didn't start as anything. But I helped her, we worked together, laughed, Blaise, I even kissed her! That morning I was on top of the world, only for it to come crashing down. I wasn't there for her when she needed me most. They took her and was about to do…things, to her. I was able to save her, but only by mere seconds." Draco looked Blaise in the eye as he spoke the next part, "I wasn't there when she needed me, I don't deserve her, yet I did the most selfish thing I could. I took advantage of her trust and shackled her to me, and she still doesn't even know everything!"

"This is a bunch of cazzata! And I guess this was the big lie you were talking about earlier?! Draco what did you tell her?"

"She was mad, so mad just now. I just didn't want her to be mad at me, so I lied. I said this wasn't real. But it is…I just want her to cool down a bit before she knows everything. I need her on my side when my parents show up. Between the three of them they would find a way out of this."

"And that would be bad?" Blaise questioned.

"Yes!" Draco shouted, "It would be bad!"

"Why?"

"Because, I think I might actually love her! There, happy? I think I do love her and I don't want her to find a way out of this. It started off just me protecting her while collecting dirt on the 'Golden Boys', and now I'm too far in."Blaise sat and put his arm on Draco's shoulder,

"There is a large gap between thinking you love someone and feeling it. You need to figure that out, and quick." Blaise's words were punctuated by rain drops falling softly from the sky. He stood, and grabbing his broom took flight to the locker rooms, leaving Draco to figure out his thoughts in the thickening drizzle.

oOo

Ginny was on her way to the Quiddicht pitch. It might be raining, but it was their time slot to practice. In the absence of Harry and her brother Demelza took charge of the teams practices, and she had no sympathy for those who skipped. Ginny was absently thinking of how Demelza would make a great captain next year when she heard a cough from an adjacent corridor. Turning she saw Harry, half hidden in the shadows.

"Oh, hi Harry, I um, forgot something, you go on ahead and I will be right back," Ginny tried to turn away, awash in her embarrassment anew, but Harry caught her wrist.

"I was hoping we might talk," Harry began as Ginny tried to pull away, "Please, I need a favor, I'm a bit desperate here."

"If this has anything to do you and my brother you can forget it, I don't want to get in the middle of that." Ginny started off harsh, but saw the sincerity in his green eyes and melted a bit as she remembered this was still the same Harry she has liked all of these years. The only difference was this was a Harry that loved her brother in a way she used to want. "Look, Harry, I'm sorry I threw up on you. I wasn't feeling well. And I'm sorry I have been avoiding you, but..."

"You heard then." Harry whispered. "It's ok, you tossing your cookies like that; I hear it's a natural reaction to bad news."

"Actually, that had nothing to do with it!" Ginny laughed nervously, "A lot of the sixth years were feeling rather ill, Pomfrey said it was due to a batched potion that we inhaled." The two stood there, looking awkwardly at the floor for a while before Harry broke the silence.

"Well, I am glad you are feeling better…can I ask you something?" Harry pleaded.

"Once again, if this has anything to do with your relationship, I would rather stay out of it."Ginny took a firm stance.

"Oh, not at all," Harry blushed, "It is what I came to talk to you about the other night actually." Taking his eyes off the floor Harry asked, "Back in your first year, when you were, you know… when you had him in your head…did you know it? Did you know when he was telling you to do awful things?"

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, "Is Vol- is _he_ making you do or say things you don't want to? Is this what Hermione meant when she warned me not to be alone with you?" Ginny was torn between taking a step towards her friend to comfort him, or a step away to protect herself. Rooted to the spot she waited as Harry gave a merciless laugh.

"I messed up really big Ginny. I hurt Hermione, in a very, very awful way. I am always getting my friends, people I love, hurt." Looking at her he declared, "You should stay away from me. It is just like that Hermione's snake said,"

"You are not making sense Harry, Hermione doesn't have a snake!" Ginny said, deciding to step closer to Harry, reaching towards him with arms of comfort.

"She does, it told me! It sees him!" Harry was beginning to babble now.

"Ok Harry," Ginny said calmly, stepping closer yet again, aiming to guide him towards a teacher who could help. "Ok, Harry, she has a snake, and it told you something?"

"_I see the evil great within, fight him or he will win. To harm your friends he will urge, until your souls together merge. There will be no way for you to atone, leaving you all alone_" Harry repeated in a sing song fashion. "See Ginny, it is my fate to hurt everyone around me. Voldamort is a part of me, and I have to kill him, be killed, or we all die! Everyone should just leave me like it said; I don't want to hurt anyone else..." Harry began to sob. Ginny closed her arms around him, making cooing sounds,

"It will be okay Harry, you didn't mean to hurt anyone. If you-know-who is in your head, then you will fight him out, just like you fought him to save me, remember Harry? And you have beaten him loads of other times. You can do it again, and you don't have to be alone in it." Harry threw Ginny off and she landed hard on her backside.

"You don't understand, I will hurt you!" Harry Shouted, "Just like I hurt Hermione, I will hurt everyone around me!" He went to run past her but she grabbed his ankle, making him stumble and look down at her.

" Harry, No!" was the last thing he heard before his world went black.

oOo

Draco returned to the castle, still wet from the world outside. He debated if he would shower in the Jade Elephant or take a moment to grab some needed things from his dorm. His thoughts were interrupted by a violent squeeze at his wrist. The silver snake slithered about, tensing before falling still. A chill ran down his spine as he ran towards the stairs, taking them two at a time towards the library. When he arrived on the landing there was nothing. The Contegam Uxorem was silent. After the message of urgency and trouble it lay dormant against his skin. That was not how it was supposed to work. If she was in trouble it was to guide him to her. Why was it not working?

Without another moment wasted he tore into the library, running in between the stacks, searching. He was about to run around another bend when he ran right into Madam Prince.

"And what exactly do you think you are doing !" Madam Prince harped. She was already in a bad mood from all the students' crowding into the library due to the rain. Many of whom did not bother to dry off first. As they were surrounded by the fleeting sounds of student laughter Draco shouted back to her,

"Hermione! Have you seen Hermione!" Madam Prince was thrown by the bewildered look of his eyes, the haphazardness present by his hair fly every which direction his clothes dripping onto her library floor.

"If you are referring to Ms. Granger, I have not seen her since she left earlier, long before the rain started. Now unless you wish for detention I suggest you make yourself just as scarce." Madam Prince thought the threat of detention would pull him back to his good senses, but he threw a quick thanks over his shoulder as he ran out of the library.

He searched all the places he could think her to be in, starting at the ground up. After checking the Jade Elephant he decided to go to the Gryffindor tower. That portrait liked him right? Surely it would let him pop in for a moment to check for her. Right? Rounding the last turn he came face to painting with the fat lady.

"Miss!" Draco started, trying to catch his breath. "Miss, I must know, is Hermione in there!"

"Now now, young man," the fat lady chastised. "One does not simply run up to a person and start demanding things, no matter how their last conversation ended." The fat lady peer over her fan at him, waiting for an apology.

"Ma'am, I don't mean to be rude, but this could be very serious!" seeing that she was not convinced he held up his arm, "The Contegam Uxorem sent me an alarm, but now nothing. I need to know if she is in there and if she is alright. Please."

"Well then, are you sure that is a genuine Elric-Cellini? They are not known for their malfunctions after all." Draco didn't even bother to respond, but sent her a trademarked and patented sneer. "Aright, of course it is real. In that case I do wish I could be more helpful, but I have not seen her since that last time that you came up with her." Draco slumped against the wall, dejected at being unable to find her when Longbottom came out of the portrait.

"Malfoy? What are you doing up here, this here is Gryffindor Tower." Longbottom said in a burst of bravery, knowing there was a room full of Gryffendors behind him if he needed back up. Draco leapt from the wall, seizing Longbottoms shoulders.

"Hermione! I need to know where she is! I think she could be in trouble!" Draco once again had a crazed look in his eye.

"Did that tell you something?" Longbottom said, gesturing to the serpent glinting on Draco's wrist. Draco gave him a light thump on the wall. Longbottom winced, "I suppose it would. Did you check the infirmary? Last I heard she was headed there, something serious." Draco let go instantly, practically flying down the stairs. "A guy thinks his gal is in trouble and doesn't think to check the most logical place? I know I'm forgetful, but that's just embarrassing," Longbottom said to the Lady.

"Hush child," she chastised, "Love will blind a fool sometimes."

oOo

Hermione sat next to the cot in the infirmary, looking down at the boy who lie sleeping. Guilt and shame filled her as she thought over all she had learned in the last half hour. After leaving Draco on the pitch she had returned towards the castle, lost in her own thoughts. Before she knew it she was on the stair when she heard a voice shout down the hall,

"I will hurt you, just like I hurt Hermione; I will hurt everyone around me!" Recognizing that voice she ran down the hall, turning a corner to see Harry standing over Ginny. Rage filler her as she heard Ginny say, "Harry, no!" Hermione whipped out her wand and her spell hit Harry square between the shoulder blades. She was so confused when Ginny screamed and crawled to Harry, cradling his head in her arms.

"Why did you do that!" Ginny had shouted. Hermione defended herself, telling Ginny how she had come to save her from Harry. Ginny sobbed,

"Hermione no, he needs our help." Ginny tried to lift him, "Please Hermione, you will understand, just help me get him to Madam Pomfrey."

They levitated him to the infirmary and the older witch took over. She asked several question after sending an interning student to get the Headmaster. When Dumbledore arrived he talked for a moment with Ginny as Hermione tried to drift out of the room.

"Not so fast Miss," Dumbledore began, his voice drifting over her like the pages of an old book. He turned back to Ginny, "If you would be so kind Miss Weasley to fetch your brother. I see there are many things we must discuss." He waited for her to leave before speaking again. "Let us sit, I feel this will take a while, and these old bones don't care for this weather we are having today." Hermione walked over and took a chair by Harry's side, pulling it away from the cot a bit, but like most minute things, the headmaster noticed.

"Miss Gran-," he started, but stopped with a slight cough, "Hermione," He continued, "It appears that an apology is first and for most due to you. May I begin that I would never condone harm to befall any of the students in my care, lest of all those in my school. Alas, I know you, young lady, have been hurt most deeply by one so close to you." Hermione took in a sharp breath. "Yes, I know what happened to you and I am very sorry that you had to go through such terrible things."

"You knew?"Hermione was shocked. He knew? Anger once again filled her and she stood to leave, "You knew, but you let them? They were right! Anything to help him win this bloody war!" As she neared the exit the doors slammed shut and her chair swept her off her feet, the arms holding her as it went back to its place of rest next to Harry. Hermione was not going to look at either of them until she heard the thinly veiled fury in the old wizard's voice.

"Tom always knew how to hurt people most, for it comes from his own hurt deep within." Hermione chanced a look at the headmaster, but on his face she only read sadness. "I knew what was happening, but you must understand, there is more at work here than you see. Tell, what do you know about Mister Potters afflictions as of late?"

"Harry," Hermione was not sure where to begin. She glared at the older wizard through teary eyes. "He said he would hurt me and he did. He said you would do nothing to stop him, and he was right. But I don't understand why! If I had brought it to you, it hurts to know you would have done nothing!"

"Once again, I say that I am sorry that in the way of things that I too have hurt you. But I need you to focus you mind on the question that I am giving you. How has Harry been acting lately?" Hermione saw the Professor was trying to lead her to some bigger answer, but was reluctant. She did not want any reason to justify Harry's actions. They were inexcusable! But still, knowing the headmaster, there was a reason behind this thread of conversation. He nodded to her and she began to list the things she has noticed.

"He has been distracted, secretive, often agitated, easy to anger …" Hermione trailed off as thing clicked into place. "It can't be! I thought Harry was taking lessons to block You-Know-Who from his mind? How has he been able to enter and influence Harry's actions so much?"

"That, I do not know." Dumbledore admitted.

"But you did know what they were doing, what they did to me. Why? Why did you let them? How could you? If you knew Harry was being possessed by You-Know-Who, why didn't you help him?" Hermione hiccupped as she wiped some of the tears from her face. She heard the wizened wizard take a deep breath, centering himself before answering her.

"I was told Tom would try something of this magnitude to hurt Harry by breaking his friendships. He is learning that it is part of Harrys great strength. He does not understand it full, but wishes to take it away from him still. What he does not know is that he has unwittingly given Harry yet another piece of armor in which to protect himself, with your help of course." Here the Headmaster gave a small sad smile to Hermione. " I understand knowing that it was not entirely Harrys fault doesn't take way the hurt you are feeling. Yet, do you know what one of the greatest types of love is?" When Hermione declined to answer the headmaster continued his monologue. "Unconditional Love. That is a love without limits, a love that is kind and nurturing, but most of all; it is a love that is forgiving. I am not telling you what to do, but rather am arming you with the knowledge that you can turn things about and make it into something better and anew."

"How? How did you know? How could you decide that this was absolutely the way things needed to happen? How did you get the right to decide on things so personal as this!" The headmaster's face became stern as he released the spell binding her to the chair.

"I did not, it was foretold. This was only one half, there is yet more that you will do to turn the tables for the side of the light. I could not, and would not, change any of it. There is too much at stake here." Dumbledore stood to leave before Hermione could give her retort about prophesies being utter bullshit. "Another time Miss, I believe you are about to have a visitor." And with that he exited to Madam Pomfrey's office.

Hermione had half a mind to follow him, she was not done here! Her steps were halted when she heard a great slam. Turning to look at the entry, there framed between the large heavy doors was none other than Draco Malfoy. He was not his usual well put together self. He stood there, dripping in his quittich uniform, hair sticking out at all angles, his breath ragged as if he had been running a marathon. Hermione did not get a moment to collect herself as he charged into the room, gathering her into his arms. He pulled her in tightly, burying his face in her hair.

"I," He gasped, "I thought you were hurt. I looked all over for you. I couldn't bear the thought that I wasn't there to protect you this time." Taking in a deep breath, he pushed back from her, this time studying her to check for anything out of place. "Your okay!" He exclaimed.

"Yes, I am, now what is this all about? I am fine! Been fine!"She protested as he embraced her once again. She heard a muffled response containing the words 'Longbottom', 'serious', and 'hurt'. "What? Why are you going to hurt Neville? What has he got to do with any of this?"

"He said you were off to the infirmary, that you were seriously hurt." Draco's voice quivered between worry and pouting. "If you are unharmed, then why are you here?"

"You're right, I wasn't hurt," Hermione pulling away from Draco to look at the prone form lying on the bed, "Harry was."

"Who cares if Harry Bloody-Potter is hurt! Serves him right it does. Now come on, we have better things to do, like cuddling the whomping willow, or even swimming with the giant squid preferably." He took a firm hold of Hermione's hand, urging her to follow him. Instead of compliance Draco experienced a sharp tug as she stood her ground.

"I care because I was the one to blast him in the back!"Hermione's words were met with the roll of his eyes.

"And I am sure you had good reason to, in fact, you have plenty of reasons to do more than that. If you want to kick him about while he is out, I am all for it, otherwise lets go."

"That's just it, I thought I was doing the right thing when I sent my spell at him, but now I'm not so sure anymore." This time instead of trying to break free of his grasp Hermione took both of his hands in hers, looking him directly in the eye. "Draco, what I am about to tell you is something I know you are going to disagree with, I don't even know if I agree with it yet. But I need you to accept it, and to stand with me." Draco looked uneasy suddenly, her words building a pool of dread inside his stomach. "Please," She enquired, leaning close to him, "Please say that you will support me in my choice, and that you will stay by my side in this difficult decision. You have helped me through so much recently, and I know it isn't fair of me to ask, but," Hermione closed the gap between him, returning his kiss from earlier, "I need you."

"Fuck me, I can't say no to that Hermione. With a build up like that I know I am not going to like it, but call me an idiot, because, yes, I agree to whatever. I'm not leaving you." Draco's inner glow of happiness was short lived; it withered underneath other much more negative emotions as Hermione spoke.

"I'm glad, because I am about to do one of the hardest things I will hope to do in my life." Hermione's hands were still clasped as she glanced over her shoulder with Harry still motionless on the small bed. "I think I am going to forgive Harry."

oOo

A/N:

Just to let you guys know I haven't forgotten or stopped working on this story. I rewrote this chapter several times and was never happy with it. Finally I took a break until my mind was clear and I started this chapter from scratch. The only thing that I kept from the original drafts was what the snake said to Harry. I had an alternate non-rhyming version of it, but it just didn't have the same feel to it. I was also able to outline how I wanted to finish the story, before I was driving without a destination. One of the biggest things I was hung up on was how to write Malfoy senior, and he should be in the next chapter. This story is very close to its end and I think that also held me back for a while, but I have been collecting several ideas as they come to me and I want to spend time flushing them out as well. They are mostly Hermione and Draco so I hope that after I finish this story that you return to read those as well.

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	14. The Event of Forgiving

Harry awoke with a flash of pain, followed by bittersweet warmth. His mouth had a cotton feel to it, and there was a persistent tingling in his fingers and toes. He tried to sit up, but found at the moment he couldn't. Harry then decided to shift his focus on opening his eyes. Slowly the world came alive to his senses. He felt the sterile warmth of the ever too familiar infirmary bedding. He smelt the starchy scent of poultices and potions in the air. His fuzzy mouth transformed with the taste of copper, an indicator that he had bitten his tongue. His eyes were filled with gray and blue light filtering into the room through rain covered windows. And above the sound of tapping rain he heard someone speak, repeating a sentence he thought he would never hear.

"I am going to forgive Harry."

He knew that voice. It belonged to Hermione, one of his best friends, a person he thought he would never intentionally hurt. Yet he had, and he himself would not be able to excuse his actions. Somehow, here she was saying that she was doing just that. Forgiving him. A tingle ran down his spine.

"You were very right when you said I wouldn't like it," A second voice spoke, this one was also familiar. "I more than don't like it. I hate it. I don't understand, why would you want to?" This was none other than Draco Malfoy, his school rival of sorts. He might not be as bad as Voldamort or even Snape, but he was still high on the list that made Harry's life miserable. "No, one little hex to the back does not make you even, tell me, who would put such an idea in your head?"

"You need to understand," Hermione began, "I am going to forgive Harry, but I am not forgiving his actions."

"You're not making sense Hermione, how can you forgive him? He is responsible for his actions!" Malfoy's voice was filled with more than its usual malice; his tone was much harsher than normal.

"That's exactly it, he is not responsible for these particular actions…Draco please, this is very hard for me, and you said you would support me."Harry heard the rustle of fabric and slowly moved his head to peer at them through cracked eyes; his vision had begun to focus. He saw Hermione embracing Malfoy, heard him sigh as he pulled her closer, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

"I want to support you; really, I made a promise that I would stand beside you. But you cannot stand here and tell me that suddenly he is no longer accountable for what he has done." Malfoy's eyes were filled with an emotion that Harry himself had not seen on his adversaries face. If he had to describe the look it would be along the line of concern and worry. This made Harry's stomach twist. Seeing his friend in the arms of someone he hated was just wrong. Hearing Malfoy talk to her with such endearing passion made Harry squirm with great unease. Knowing that it was his own actions that drove said friend into said foes arms made Harry cringe in guilt and self loathing.

"But he isn't!" Hermione protested, "As much as part of me is unwilling to accept it, I know now that the biggest thing Harry is at fault for is defying You-Know-Who by living." Harry almost jumped at Hermione defending him. Why would she after what he had done? For once he was in agreement with Malfoy, which only made Harry feel worse about the whole situation.

"What does that have to do with the price of dragon dung in Romainia? Are you saying that just because he is the wondrous Boy-Who-Lived that for some inane reason you are just going to live and let live, forget all that has happened t you, just bloody forgive him and be one big happy sappy Gryffindor family again?" Hermione pushed herself away from Malfoy dug her hands into her hair.

"You are not listening Draco! Somehow He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named got inside his head to the point that Harry did not have full control over his actions." Harry was not sure how she found out, but he was glad that Hermione knew that Harry by himself would not do something so awful to his friend. It did not lessen or take away the pain from him doing it, but it eased his mind. If Hermione knew it meant Harry was suddenly not alone. Maybe Ginny was right, maybe he could beat Voldamort. Harry's train of thought was derailed when Malfoy opened his mouth and said something that felt like a punch in Harry's already upset stomach.

"So what you are saying now is that you can forgive Potter because it wasn't him who molested you, it was only the leader of the Death Eaters that nearly gang raped you. I call bullshit, whoever told you that is a liar trying to get Potter off the hook once again. Who was it that fed you that load of crap?" Hearing it in such blunt terms was hard, not only for Harry, but for Hermione too. She began to weep as she answered.

"Dumbledore," Hermione let the name out in a nearly breathless whisper. "He knew, said he even knew in advance that something might happen." She buried her face into her hands as her shoulders began to shake. Malfoy collected her into his arms once again, this time guiding her to the chair and pulling her into his lap. Harry felt uncomfortable again as he saw how at ease she was with Malfoy, turning into him as he rubbed her back. Her voice was muffled by his shirt and her tears as she said, "He knew and didn't stop them, wouldn't stop them. He said it was supposed to happen, that it had to."

"Bloody hell Hermione," Malfoy bit out, "Next time I see that old tosser I will personally hex his dangly bits right off."

"He said there was more, but he left before telling me. He only said that this is a key element for turning the tide in this blood war." This information was a surprise to Harry. He thought he was alone, that no one knew. But here his mentor had known and had done nothing. Harry felt like Dumbledore had betrayed them all. Why would he let something like that happen? What benefit was there in having Harry tormented by his own actions, actions that hurt many of his friends. Not only was Hermione hurt by this, there was Ron to think of as well. Would his friendships be salvageable? Even if they were to be saved, they would not be the same again.

"Everything always seems to come back to this infernal war. At this point I feel no matter what side you are on you have to see what complete nutters the men whom are leading it are."This earned a small laugh from Hermione. Malfoy gave her a small smile then pressed his lips to her temple, "So you believe forgiving Potter will save him, and all those who are counting on him as well. Well, like I said, I don't like it, but if that's your choice. I'm still not letting you be alone with him, or even out of my sight at the moment."

"Thank you," she said, leaning up to give him a small kiss.

"I thought I told before that you don't need to be thanking me for anything. I do things for only one, well now two, reasons." Malfoy adjusted his grip on Hermione, one arm encircling her and supporting her back while his other hand toyed with the bracelet on her wrist.

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" Hermione said with a hiccup.

"Reason one is because I want to, and reason two," Malfoy paused as he leaned in to nuzzle her ear, "reason two is because I want you to be happy." Harry watched as Hermione's face turned from sadness to one of bashful delight. Her response to that died on her lips as the door opened, emitting two red haired siblings.

oOo

Draco had felt uncomfortable the moment the Weasleys came into the room. Before they entered, it was just him and Hermione. Yes, Potter was there, but he was still out and therefore did not count. Now it felt like he might as well be hanging in the Gryffindor common room. He watched as she jumped of his lap to go greet them. True to what he promised he did not leave, but he wasn't feeling exactly wanted when the first thing out of the Weaselettes mouth was to question his presence.

"Hermione, what is he doing here!" the small girl asked while pointing an accusing finger at Draco.

"Doesn't matter what I am doing here, only that I am here and I am staying." Draco replied, turning his nose into the air by a fraction, keeping his seat.

"It's ok," Her brother was the one to respond, "They are together now I guess."

"What!" The girl shrieked, her voice a growing likeness to the one Draco heard through a howler back in second year. Turning on Hermione the She-Weasel asked, "When did this happen!"

"I'm not sure what to say, we have been studying together, and he has been helping me, and now it's a bit more complicated I suppose…" Sensing that she was beginning to babble the Weasel jumped in again.

"I'm not sure what's so complicated about it," the Weasel gestured to their wrist, "Check it out, they even have those things. You would have known if you weren't so busy puking your brains out the other day." At his gesture she looked, her eyes got even bigger; her mouth formed a large 'O'. For a moment Draco thought she had been stunned into silence, but then her face turned red as she screeched again,

"Are you serious!" She turned on Hermione, grabbing her wrist. She examined the bracelet and saw the recent puncture marks on her finger. "You are serious! This is real? I need to sit down…" Draco stood and offered her his chair then moved to stand by Hermione. "Ron, how can you be so calm about this? Hermione is married to Bloody Malfoy!"

"Actually it's _Draco_ Malfoy," Draco interjected, earning a withering glare from the fuming girl. She then turned her sharp eyes back to her brother.

"Well?" She demanded "Don't make me repeat myself Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Underneath her stare Draco watched as _Ronald Bilius Weasley_ turned a few shades whiter.

"Gordon Bennett! Ginny, it sounds like you somehow swallowed mum whole! I bet she would be very proud of you right now…"This did nothing but turn up the heat on her glare. Ron sighed as he answered, "I suppose you could say that I'm not in the position to make judgments on others love lives right now. Ginny, I suppose there is something I need to tell you…I think I'm…"

"I know already," She interrupted, trying to motion for him not to say anything in front of Draco. "We will talk later."

"That's alright Weasleys, I already know too." Draco said with a certain smugness. "But that's alright; you don't have to say anything in front of me. In fact I would rather you didn't." This brought her wrath back full circle to him and Hermione.

"See what a poxy-prat he is Hermione! How could you marry such a barmy blighter! Have you forgotten that he is a complete prick!" It looked like she was about to sink into her chair when Hermione's answered propelled her upwards.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I actually didn't know what I was doing, and that it is not really real?" Hermione's friend grabbed at her wrist once more, this time in an attempt to remove the Contegam Uxorem. The head of the snake reared up with a hiss, bearing its fangs at what it thought could be an attacker. The female Weasley released Hermione's arm and took a step back, halting the serpents growing transformation. When it showed to be dormant once again the girl gave a bit of a 'har-ump'.

"Not real my arse! According to that reaction I would say that you have pretty much completed every requirement for the grand _veneficus nuptiis_! How can you say that you didn't know? Are you telling me that you accepted the terms, had a great feast where it was announced, and you _slept_ with him, all without knowing what you were doing?" Exasperated the girl flopped into the chair once more. Draco could practically see the cogs in Hermione's brain whirling away, the facts clicking into place.

"That's not exactly how it happened but..."Hermione began when Draco cut her off,

"But we will talk about this later, thank you. After all, are we not here to see to _poor_ Potter; who I believe has only been pretending to sleep for the past few minutes, if not longer?" With Draco's announcement all eyes turned to the boy in the bed. Indeed his green eyes were cracked, his face showing a mix of pain and displeasure. Seeing how the attention was now fully on him; Potter opened his eyes.

"Hey."

"Hey? Hey!" The yelling started anew; the she-weasel seemed to always be angry. What was it that Blaise saw in her? "Harry Potter, here we have been worried about you, and there you are, only pretending to be asleep. And what do you have to say for yourself? Just 'hey'!"

"Well," Potter began, "I'm not sure what to say really. Other than I'm sorry of course. I mean not that I am sorry for eavesdropping, or pretending to sleep; but that I'm really sorry for hurting everyone." Potter took a deep breath and looked to Weasley, "I'm sorry Ron, I used your feelings, and I have to be honest when I say that I don't truly feel that way. I haven't been myself lately" Weasley looked a crushed, but took it in stride.

"I kinda expected that, really. Besides, it wouldn't have worked out anyway…" Weasley flashed a half smile, "But anyway, your better now, right? I think I can forgive you, but only if you guys let me break it to mum myself."

"Thanks Ron, that means more than you now." Potters emerald eyes turned on Hermione next. "Did you really mean what you said?"

"When I said what exactly, how long have you been awake anyway?" Hermione peered at Potter in a way that let him know exactly what she thought of him listening in to what might have been a private conversation.

"When you said you were going to forgive me…I understand if you don't mean it, I wouldn't forgive me…" Before Potter could wallow in his own despair Hermione looked him in the eye and answered.

" I meant what I said Harry. It will take me a while to get over everything personally, but," She paused as she stepped up to the cot and took his and in hers, "I forgive you Harry Potter, for actions I know now that you were not responsible for."

The moment the words were out of her mouth there was a brilliant flash of light, bathing Potter in a golden glitter from his feet to his head. He fell back heavily onto the bed, his eyes rolling back until all you could see were his whites. Then a terrible hissing scream ripped from him. Draco was not a parselmouth, but it didn't take a genius to know when they were hearing the sounds of the serpent language. As abruptly as the event started it stopped. Everything in the hospital wing fell silent, letting them hear the clear clapping of feet running their way.

"Alright, that's enough now. I promised Albus I would let you in to see Mister Potter, but I believe you have done enough now," The matron began to shoo them out of her hospital wing, " I knew I was right to tell him that what he needed was rest, but you know the headmaster. Now out with you all, and don't come around again until after class tomorrow!" Being at the tail of the group Draco caught said headmaster exiting Pomfrey's office.

"Come now Poppy," Draco heard him say through the already closing doors, "I told you that some things have to happen. Hopefully it will be enough to protect Harry in the upcoming battle with Tom." Draco turned to Hermione as they walked away, hoping for a bit more in the way of an explanation.

"What was that?" He asked, taking her hand.

"If I had to wager a guess, I would say that it was the power of unconditional love. By forgiving Harry, he now has yet another weapon in which to use against You-Know-Who. And once again the weapon was delivered to Harry by his own hands." She gave his hand a squeeze, "Come on, I believe we have some things to discuss." Draco swallowed hard at her words. He knew what he was in for, he only hoped he could come out to the other side unscathed. But, just in case,

"Hey, Weasley!" He shouted to the siblings ahead of them. They both halted and turned to look back at him.

"Yes Malfoy?" The brother asked.

"Not you, her!" If Draco was not going to see tomorrow, he was at least going to help one of his friends odds in life.

"Me?" She questioned.

"Yes, you, if you need someone to help you get over Potter you should give Blaise an owl." Draco tried his best at an innocent smile, knowing that while Blaise was going to be mad initially; if Draco succeeded Blaise would have to thank him later.

"First off, seeing how you are now with Hermione, you will have to start calling Ron and I by our names. Mine is Ginny if you didn't know. And second, Zabini? Why would I owl him?" _Ginny's_ arms were crossed, her face in a tight frown.

"First off," Draco said, mimicking her, "It is Blaise, if you insist on us calling you by name you must return the same courtesy. And second, just send him a message by whatever means you like, hell, you might even try talking to him. Give him a chance, he is a nice guy." Before she could respond Draco was off with Hermione in tow. If he was going to face the music, he was going to do it on his own terms.

oOo

Draco led her through the halls of Hogwarts, whenever she attempted to speak he would try and be playful by running ahead, or would completely talk over her, not letting her get a single word in. She was becoming very furious by the time they got to the Jade Elephant. He took the stairs two at a time with her hot on his heels; she was defiantly not going to the let the subject drop, if that's what he was aiming for. When they entered the suite he transfigured a fruit basket into an actual picnic basket and began to fill it up. Next he dashed into the bedroom and grabbed a blanket, adding that to the basket as well.

"Draco, what are you doing? I thought we were going to talk about how we are apparently married and you failed to say, no not failed, you outright lied and said we were not!" Hermione was becoming more livid with his every movement.

"We are going to talk," He finally said, turning to address her. "I thought if we were going to have this conversation, then we might have it someplace more pleasant. Not only that, but all the commotion with Potter you have skipped a few more meals. I thought a late picnic as a lunch would suit both needs." There was a tap at the window and his eyes lit up. "Perfect timing!" He exclaimed, unlatching the window and allowing his broom to sweep through the window. Grabbing the basket with one hand he used his other to mount his broom. "Are you coming?" He asked over his shoulder.

"No," was her stern reply. Confused he looked at her, seeing the alarm in her eyes.

"No?" He questioned.

"No, as in I do not fly about on a broom stick." Hermione's face was severe; he already knew it was going to be hard getting her to change her mind. On the other hand, she was no longer thinking about how she was going to blast his bits off…

"Come on," He said while thinking on how exactly he was going to persuade her. "What type of witch doesn't ride a broom?"

"This kind of witch." She stated, her feet planted firmly on the ground. "Draco, no matter what you say, I am not getting on that broom. You will have to find another way."

"But Hermione, I had it all thought out," his voice was full pout with a twinge of whine, " I was going to take you to a nice place on the far side of the lake, we were going to eat while talking, you would realize you might love me and that you are not really mad at all, and after you forgive me we would have a nice and wonderful life together… see doesn't that sound nice?" Hermione couldn't tell how much he said was serious and how much was a joke to get her to ride the broom. "If we were to walk to our destination it would take a lot longer, not to mention you might get grumpy because you're hungry, you might even slip and fall into the lake, becoming all wet…well then again it wouldn't be too bad, a nice campfire to dry off with the sun setting over the water, followed by some night time adventure," Here he stopped to wiggle his eyebrows. "And if it gets us there faster I will even wear my glasses that you like so much." He ended this with a big grin, and she couldn't help but laugh at the preposterous plan he came up with.

She was about to purpose a compromise when there was a second tap at the window. This time the tap came from an agitated looking owl. While similar to Draco's owl in the way it was also an eagle owl, its colorings and mannerisms were quite different. Bubble had luminous orange eyes with black and white featherings. This owl, which was a half a size bigger, had sharp yellow eyes, its feathers a mottled range of tan and brown. Draco, although surprised to see him, seemed to know this owl. He gestured the owl in, and reached forward to take the letter when the owl bit his fingers.

"Rudy!" Draco snapped at the owl, "This is not the time, give me the letter. Now." He ground out. When the owl would not deliver his letter Draco growled and dug into the basket. Pulling out a bit of ham he tossed it to the bird who caught it, swallowing the piece of meat in one greedy gulp. Only then did he protrude his leg, offering the message. Draco tore the envelope from the bird then attempted to shoo the bird off. The owl did not budge, he merely hunkered down, fluffing up his feathers.

"This is my father's owl," Draco explained. "His name is Rudesind, meaning path of fame." Upon hearing his true name the owl preened in pride. "However I think Rudy fits him just fine." The bird scowled and hissed, once again trying to make his presence larger than it truly was. "Father must want an immediate reply; otherwise Rudy would have dropped the letter and flown off." Draco quickly read the letter and immediately paled.

"What's wrong?" Hermione dropped their current argument when she saw the distress color his face.

"My parents, they are coming early." Draco dropped his broom to the floor, tossing the basket onto the couch. "Go get washed up and put on the dress, hurry now, we don't have much time."

"What? Why" Hermione knew she was not making the most intelligible remarks, but she wanted to know why she needed to rush about for his parents.

"Pansy must have sent an owl to her parents at some point, and they told mine, who are on the way here, so we don't have time to stand about, go get ready." He once again was trying to usher her towards the bedroom door.

"Told them? Told them what," Hermione spun to face him with a gasp, "Draco, are you saying that until we entered the Great Hall the other night no one knew about your inane plan to marry me? Are you completely gormless?"

"Yes and no. Yes, no one knew about the plan. No, I am not gormless, it was a very good plan. It would have protected you from Potter if he had tried anything again. You said it even defended you from Pansy! Besides, do you think they would have sent me what I wanted if they knew who it was for?"

"Oh, so who did you say it was for then?" Hermione continued to question him as he succeeded in leading her into the room.

"I didn't, I just told them to send it on and that I would talk to them later. I was just hoping it would be much, much later, or at least until after I convinced you not to kill me."

"About that, I'm not exactly planning your death, but I'm not jumping for joy as it is. You are not getting off this hook, no matter how many distractions you come up with." Hermione grabbed his wrist as he passed her the green dress. "You understand what I'm saying, yes?" Draco froze, his eyes locked onto hers. He put his hand onto the one hold his wrist, trapping it there. Pulling he close he touched his forehead to hers, then tilted his head up, kissing her fully on the mouth.

"I understand that you are unhappy about some of the things I have done and said," Draco whispered as he broke away, "But I also understand that every time I do this," he put his arms around her as he captured her lips once more, teasing them with his tongue, "that you don't stop me, and that you might even enjoy it a little. So for the sake of this argument I'm going out on a limb to say that you like me a lot more than you think. I will also let you know that I do in fact like you a lot more than you know." Seeing her stunned into silence he released her, handing her the dress once more. "Go on and get ready, while I might not have been a hundred percent truthful in the beginning I am telling the truth now. This," he said, pointing between them, "what we have here is real, and we will either learn to work it out together, or you will kill me in my sleep one day. That is, if my parents don't kill me today. Now go, we will have that picnic some other time." With that he gave her one last push towards the bathroom. When the door clicked shut he turned to the owl with a glare.

"Is there any way we can come to an agreement where I don't have to send a reply letter?" He questioned the bird. Rudy hissed again, flaring out his wing feathers and snapping his beak. "I didn't suppose we would." Draco sighed and feigned like he was going to the desk for a quill and ink, then turned on the owl and hitting the bird with a levitation spell.

"Send my love to mum, but tell the old man where he can shove it!" Draco flung the bird out the window, closing it right behind the upset eagle owl. Rudy caught himself in the air, and flew in a circle to leave a rather large splat on the window before taking off.

"Dumb bird." Draco muttered before turning to prepare himself for his parents' early visit.

oOo

AN:

Here it is chapter 14! It would have been posted much sooner but I had a few complications. Right after posting my one shot (When Squids Fly) I took a break, and when I returned my space bar was broken! I have never had that happen to me before. Lucky for me, my husband works with computers and had a replacement part in a few days. Then I had an incident where I lost my flash drive with all my work on it. I admit I super spazzed until it was found. Lucky for me the coworker who found it does not have computer access and so I was spared the shame of being made fun of at work. (The 'women' I work with are extremely judgmental at times.)

I have to admit, this chapter was much longer originally, but after some thought I decided it would work best broke into two separate chapters. What this means is I will hopefully have the next chapter out soon because I have a few days off thanks to a federal holiday! I also want to say that my job has me working long hours (545-1800) and my break is spent eating, sleeping and occasionally working out. I spend my break at a coworker's house to save gas, so I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to my hobbies and fixing my house. But between all of that I love getting your encouraging reviews and messages, I have had some awful work days with the new management, and this is one of the few things I really look forward to. SO feel free to review or send PM's, they make my day. You can let me know if you agree with Hermione's decision to forgive Harry, or comment on the fact that Ron is openly admitting he is gay, or even on what was your favorite line or moment. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and sorry for the long authors note!

(sorry, not doing a stat count on this chapter….)


	15. The Disgruntled Encounter

"Mister and Misses Malfoy, we weren't expecting you until later this week." McGonagall was the one to greet the Malfoys as they entered the school from the ongoing rain. "If you would like I could escort you to the Headmasters office to wait for him there; He is busy at the moment in the hospital wing."

"I do hope that everything is okay," Lucius said with mock concern.

"Oh, it will be, there was a bit of a dust up with a few of the seventh years." McGonagall answered as she led them up the stairs.

"I trust our Draco was not involved," Narcissa interjected.

"No, he wasn't." McGonagall replied, "Watch that step, it likes to be tricky on wet days."

Conversation lagged as they walked through the halls. Upon arrival to the headmasters office McGonagall asked them to step back while she said the password. She motioned them to follow her as she climbed onto the ascending stair.

"Well, here we are." McGonagall stated with a wave to the room. She then steered them to a set of comfortable chairs by the fire. "Would you like anything while you wait?" Narcissa looked to her husband who gave a small nod.

"Yes please," she said with a charming smile, her face smooth. "If it is no trouble we will take in some tea with warm biscuits."

"Warm biscuits," McGonagall repeated and returned 's smile, "Yes, I do suppose they would do nicely on a day as cold as wet as this one." McGonagall rang a bell that was sitting on a side table. When the ringing stopped the coffee table in front of them was steaming with warm delights. Conversation once again fell flat as they began to sample the savory offerings.

"Mmm," Narcissa began while sipping on her tea, "Hogwarts elves always knew how to make a decent darjeeling." The only response was the clinking of cups on saucers, McGonagal did not make the best hostess on a good day, and so far a good day it has not been. It was just as well that they did not have to wait as long as they expected. The fire grew high and flared green, and with a puff of smoke Dumbledore stepped out.

"Lucius, Narcissa," He called as he entered. "What a surprise! If I knew you were coming early I would have put a nicer set of robes on!" As it were he was wearing a bright purple and yellow set of robes, dotted in green glittery stars. From what they knew of the Headmaster they would be safe in assuming that the rest of his wardrobe was just as flamboyant.

"No need Dumbledore, after all, it was not you we came to see." Lucius' tone was dismissive, "If you could call our son up to meet us, we have things I would like to discuss before we have dinner with him and his new bride."

"Bride!" McGonagall yelped, clanking her cup onto its saucer violently, spilling tea on her robes.

"Yes," Narcissa smile, "I do find it is nice to learn that we are not the last to know."

"Ah," Dumbledore gave a sheepish grin as he stared into the flames, "We would call him up right away, but as it is the children's day off I must be honest when I say he could be anywhere in the castle. Perhaps you would like to wait for dinner after all?"

"I see," Lucius said coldly, leaning towards his wife to whisper, "This is a perfect example of why I wanted our son to attend Durmstrang. They would know where he was as they do not have as many days off." Narcissa placed her hand on her husband's arm, pointedly ignoring his remarks.

"That would be just fine, right dear?" She nodded as she spoke, silently soothing her spouse.

"Right as rain," He replied.

oOo

When Draco and Hermione entered the Great Hall the first thing they noticed was the lack of the long house tables. In their place were several round tables positioned about the room; the hall was otherwise greatly unchanged. Still, the transformation of the Great Hall was strange; there was no upcoming events this week, and even if there were the school normally made the alteration that very evening.

Draco led her through the room, aware of the eyes following them as he chose a table off to the side. After settling in Zabini was walking towards them, but stopped when Draco shook his head, and he sat down a few tables away instead. Hermione looked around for her own friends and spotted the Weasleys sitting together near the middle. She was not surprised when she didn't see Harry; Madam Pomfrey would probably want to keep him more than a day after earlier. The students eagerly watched the professors sit at their table, expecting an announcement in the way of explanation. However it was very apparent that they would not be receiving any enlightenment from the teachers as they simply sat and started their meal.

"What do you think is going on," Hermione asked, full of curiosity.

"I have an idea," Draco answered dryly, "But whether this helps us or puts us to a disadvantage is yet to be seen."

"You believe that Professor Dumbledore rearranged the Hall because of your parents visit?" Hermione's head whipped around the room as she questioned him, looking for the imminent arrival of his parents.

"With the way his eyes are twinkling, I am so sure I could put money on it." Draco said with a scowl. Seeing her discomfort he reached forward and took her hand, grabbing her attention. "Calm down," he ordered, "This is something that was going to happen sooner or later. The choice of when was taken from us, but the choice of how it will go is still ours. We can choose how to let them see us, we can choose how we let their words affect us, and we can choose to go through this together. They have dictated most of the events in my life, but this one is my choice. I would like it to be our choice." Draco's eyes were filled with determination, his mouth in a soft smile to give her confidence. Inwardly Hermione could have laughed at his words. Here he was talking about choices, something he did not rightly give her. Still, she understood this was not the time to be picking fights; that was between them, when his parents came in they would have to put on the face of a united front.

"I would like that too," She said meekly, "If only to show them they aren't the biggest people in the room."

"If that's what you want then perhaps we should invite that oaf Hagrid to our table, he is easily the biggest bloke in the castle," Draco said this with an easy laugh, trying a joke to calm her nerves instead. It worked as she elbowed him in the side.

"Be nice," she chastised him, "Hagrid also has the biggest heart, and it would do you good to be polite to him too." Draco was satisfied that his jab put Hermione back in control of her emotions. That was good; he was going to need her if they were to stay on top of the upcoming confrontation.

The whole room noticed the moment the Malfoys entered the room. The two aristocratic figures seemed to glide through the room on even footing. They nodded to various students with notable parents. Mr. Malfoy paused at Astoria Greengrass' table. It was hard to hear everything they said from their distance, but Hermione was able to catch that they were giving her their condolences for something. Astoria gave them a small smile, thanking them before glaring at Draco and Hermione. A few tables away Pansy looked absolutely mortified. With a scowl she stood, lifting her wand.

"Don't make a bigger fool of yourself than you are." Lucius stated without even turning to look at her. Pansy sat with a sniff, simpering to her more sympathetic friends.

Their brief interlude with her over, the Malfoys continued their walk to Draco and Hermione's table. Draco continued to hold her hand under table, not wavering under his parents' icy glare.

"Draco," His father's cold greeting chilling the room just as much as his mother's stretched smile warmed it.

"Father, Mother," Draco returned the welcome with his own blend of glacial indifference.

"Draco, Dear," his mother admonished with her arms held out, "Will you not stand and give you mother a hug hello?" Letting go of Hermione's hand he stood and embraced his mother. "You could have warned us," She whispered in his ear.

"And said what?" He teased, "That she isn't from Slytherin?" His mother narrowed her eyes while his father's scowl deepened. Draco only smiled at them as he pulled out a chair for his mother. Hermione felt nervous again and had to remind herself not to fidget. Still, she felt like half the eyes in the Great Hall were on their table. After they were all seated Mr. Malfoy starting staring her down while the Missus seemed to be examining her dress.

"Pity," the blonde woman commented. Hermione wasn't sure if Mrs. Malfoy was judging herself or the dress Draco had given her.

"I agree." Mr. Malfoy stated, although it sounded more like he was agreeing with his own assumption of what his wife meant. "I presume there is no need for introductions here, so we shall skip all those niceties' and go straight to the reason we came here."

"Which was to congratulate us, right?" Hermione's snide comment flew from her mouth before she had time to stop it.

"It would appear that the girl's sense of humor is on par with your own my dear," Mrs. Malfoy commented.

"Do not insult me." Malfoy senior's eyes glinted dangerously without mirth.

"Stop," Draco interjected, his voice was tinged with warning, but for whom Hermione could not discern. "You came here to challenge our union, a right given to you by Wizengamont law."

"What do you mean challenge?" Hermione was not prepared for this, her eyes wide as she looked at Draco.

"I see our Draco has been keeping secrets from everyone. Just as well, I will explain." Mrs. Malfoy took a hold of the conversation. "Originally we were thrilled that our Draco had finally found the witch he was going to give this particular Malfoy heirloom to. Events such as this are once in a lifetime for those with only one heir. But I must digress, when we heard that it was none other than yourself, well, that changed the whole purpose of our visit. Originally we had planned to not only come and celebrate, but to solidify the union with our blessings. It would have been a grand event," Narcissa sighed dreamily. "Our approval of his choice would be the last step in what would be a grand and magical wedding, and providing it met all the requirements it would make the marriage very legal in today's view."

"Requirements?" Hermione repeated, remembering what Ginny had asked in the hospital wing. At this point she was wishing she had read further into this magical wedding business before storming out to confront Draco. At the time he had said something about it not being real, and at the time Hermione had her suspicions that there was more to it than she was being told. Between Ginny and Draco's mom she was finally putting the pieces together. If this had been any other family she might be _one night_ away from being legally wed without her complete knowledge.

"Yes, the requirements," Lucius said, interrupting her thoughts. He gave a sharp look to Hermione, "This is where we are allowed to issue our challenge. We challenge that all the requirements have not been met as of yet, and we challenge the validity of this amalgamation. From the state of the Contegam Uxorem, I can deduce that there is yet another requirement other than our own that is yet to be filled. I am prepared to offer you a generous amount of money to see that not only it stays that way, but you take measures to undo what my son has begun and to walk away. I am not sure what you had planned to get out of this, but I can assure you that it will not be worth the trouble." Hermione spared a glance at the serpent wrapped around her wrist, looking nearly innocent as it lay dormant.

"I have heard enough." Draco interjected before Hermione could even contemplate such an offer. "I admit, there is one last thing that is between us, but I repeat, that is between us. As for the second half of your challenge, the part of attacking the 'validity', I easily rebuke it. You can easily see with your own eyes how the Contegam Uxorem accepts her, something that could not happen if there was nothing between us." The two men stared at each other for a moment, neither one wanting to give way to the other. Once again the senior Malfoy turned his attention to Hermione.

"I would like to let you know that my more than generous offer will stand for when you change your mind. Just see to it that this dalliance goes no further."

"I have no need for your blood money," Hermione's words were meant as a taunt, a jib to acknowledge that she knew that the Malfoys dealt in various underhand ways. In return the man gave a low chuckle, a sneer dominating his features.

"It is funny that you would mention blood," turning to Draco he continued, "That would be the second reason for our visit. Draco, I must say I am curious to know why you would show an interest in one who comes from such a lower lineage?" A look of surprise flashed across Draco's face before he schooled his features once again into a look of composure and control. Hermione was also interested in the answer, with everything that happened recently it wasn't a discussion they have had yet.

"To be honest? I had other things on my mind and I forgot that she was a mudblood." The word once out of his mouth had immediate reactions around the table. Draco grimaced, knowing instantly he had chosen the wrong thing to say. His father leaned back, a smug smile on his face. Narcissa seemed slightly aghast that her son would say such a word in front of so many, she may say it herself, but location and probable deniability were key. Hermione was torn between hurt and fascination. She was hurt to learn her still thought in those terms; but she was fascinated that he had, if momentarily, looked past that mind set and had seen her for who she was and not what she was.

Hermione could tell all three Malfoys at the table were waiting for her reaction, but she also remembered what Draco had said before his parents' arrival. She would choose not to give them the satisfaction of reacting in the way they thought she would. After all, she was not Pansy Parkinson, a girl who was pulled through life by her emotions. She was Hermione Granger, who loved to show her intelligence by getting a leg up in such situations. She smiled and looked at the waiting blondes before speaking.

"Yes, and I forgot that he was a spoiled prat raised by bigoted cretins. I suppose we will all have to look past each other's shortcomings," Hermione almost stopped there, but she felt like it wasn't enough, "After all, we are nearly family…is it too soon to call you Mum and Da?" Whether she chose to complete her semi-marriage to Draco was not the point. Seeing Lucius' eyes bug out and Narcissa turn completely white was.

"I see." Lucius sputtered. "Draco the fact that you planned to bring someone _like her_," He snarled, "into our family brings me great dishonor." Lucius stood swiftly and cleared his throat, speaking loudly for the room to hear.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, you have brought shame to your family's name. Kneel and ask for forgiveness as a promise to change, or surrender to the consequences!"

All in the hall abandoned their attempts to be discreet in their observations and openly watched as Draco stood and walked towards his father. Instead of following his instructions, Draco smiled before spitting on his father's shoes.

"You may choose to snivel on your knees and beg, but this Malfoy is done with that way of life." Draco announced.

"Then you are done being a Malfoy." Lucius' tone was even as he spoke, no one doubted the sincerity of his words; no one that is other than Draco.

"You do realize if you disown me there are no others Malfoys in line to inherit and carry on the Family name and fortune."

"I am well aware of that Draco, but I would rather the Malfoy name die before letting it be given to those of lesser blood." Lucius looked pointedly at Hermione as he said this.

"Come," He summoned his wife and the swept out o the room as gracefully as they entered, albeit with a faster pace. The hall was silent as they exited; many of the students were still staring in their direction after they were gone.

Draco thought about telling them off, but thought better of it. That didn't mean he was looking forward to class with them tomorrow, just that for now he wanted to eat in peace. Besides, as cool as she was while his parents were there, he knew he was going to hear from Hermione later on his choice in words.

oOo

Severus Snape heard in advance that there may be a commotion in the Great Hall including his Godson. Normally Snape would put himself very near to ensure things turned out favorably. However when he heard said confrontation would be with the boys own parents he felt it was best if he removed himself. The Malfoys would look to Snape to see his full support, but then Draco would be seeking the same, and with Snapes prior knowledge of what might happen, he knew that one part would find themselves lacking.

No, Snape had to hold his cards close, not revealing his true motives until it was absolutely necessary. He had intended to linger about the halls on the pretense of patrolling during dinner times when a conversation stopped him in his tracts. Hugging the wall he blended into the shadows to listen in, a habit that came as easy to him as breathing.

"Nothing is going according to the plan. Draco was never supposed to get involved. I blame your side of the family for this Narcissa! The Blacks have once again broken good tradition and married into bad blood." The voice he heard was more than full of malice, and was unmistakably belonging to none other than Lucius Malfoy. These strong words were followed by a hushed and even tone, the sound betraying no words, only the silky promise of a voice. Snape strained to hear the full conversation as the Malfoys walked through the halls and down the stairs toward the exit of Hogwarts.

"You were always too soft on the boy and look where it got us? As far as I am concerned we have no son now." Luscious continued his tirade as they passed by Snape's hiding place.

"You surely do not mean this? He is our son, he may have made a very bad choice, but you cannot change blood!" Narcissa took a hold of Lucius' arm, halting their progress down the stairs.

"That is exactly the problem, you _cannot_ change blood! If only he were gay, I could explain that to our lord much easier. But claiming to love a mudblood? That is unnatural!" Lucious stood, staring at the head of his cane, his eyes dark and contemplating. "The original plan has failed, instead of separating Potter from his friends we lost one of our own. It cannot be helped; we will have to kill the girl."

"_Petrificus Totalus," _Snape had heard plenty, and it was time to take action. The body-bind curse might be a low level wizarding duel spell, but worked effectively on both of the Malfoys. Snape abandoned his cover and walked up to Lucious, looking the man directly in his eyes. "_Legilimens,"_ The word came out of Snape like the whisper of a whip.

_A meeting was being held in a dark place, and a plan was hatched to weaken the Potter boy. Over the summer he was being watched by a death eater in animagus form, a beetle that Snape recognized with ease. Even as a double agent he had not known of this particular member outright, but now his suspicions were confirmed. The beetle gathered all sorts of information that was returned to Voldamort, and the plan was hatched. _

_It was swiftly put into place, waiting for the right moment. The whole idea hinged on Voldamort exercising his control of Potters mind, slipping in and out without a trace. Unlike the previous times he had done this, he did not leave images to haunt and hurt the boy. No, this was all about gaining influence and control; overlapping the very soul to take over his actions. During these times Voldamorts body was left vulnerable to the point that he needed someone to stand guard. Nagini was there to watch the man left in charge of tending to the Dark Lords body. The man who held this task was none other than Lucius Malfoy, giving him nearly full knowledge of this nefarious plot. _

_The time came and the serpentine man struck. Using the knowledge of the Weasley boy's growing attraction, he slipped in control of Potter and initiated a kiss; a kiss that was to lead to so much heart ache and confusion that it would ultimately end their friendship and sever several of the emotional supports that give Potter such strength. He did so under the guise of the Weasley twins new product to throw off any suspicion from Potter. More and more frequent Voldamort would take over or influence Potters actions that the boy was beginning to believe they were his own. As time passed Voldamort took more steps to lead Potter to his destruction. The next step was to alienate the brains of their group, ridding them of the dirty Granger girl. _

_And that is where the plan took a wrong turn. Voldamort stopped bragging about his progress when he fully returned to his body. Then one day a new caretaker was appointed. Not long after an owl came with a letter from Pancratius Parkinson. The letter held news of Lucius son, a rumor that the Contegam Uxorem Draco had requested recently was bestowed upon none other than Potters mudblood friend. _

Snape removed himself from Lucius' mind, took a swift breath to contemplate his next actions. He acted with the knowledge that it was his word against them, and that Legilimency without the ministry's permission was viewed negatively.

"_Obliviate_." His words as soft as leaves rustling in the grass. Taking his place back near the landing he issued the counter curse to the body bind. The Malfoys continued their walk, slightly dazed, but were able to pick up where they left off.

"Not so loud dear, you know how this castle has eyes and ears all over the place." Narcissa hushed her husband.

"Careful Lucius." Snape said loudly, announcing his presence. The couple looked startled, afraid of what Snape might have heard. "That stair likes to be tricky on wet days." With those words of parting Snape stalked away in a swirl of black robes. He had to inform the Headmaster of what he had learned and to form a full counter plan.

oOo

AN:

So Lucius wasn't as hard to write as I feared, I hope I got him right. I wanted him to be confrontational, but not crazy. I do admit I was tempted to write, "When he saw his potential daughter-in-law was none other than Hermione Granger; He died right then and there of a heart attack. His ghost is sometimes heard cursing through the halls," But I decided not to take the easy way out this time.

This chapter was slightly shorter than the previous few, but is consistent with some of the earlier chapters. I thought to add more details of the actual meal, but I felt it took away from the action, and I am against adding words just for the sake of making a chapter drag out longer. But hey, looks like the Twins are off the hook this time! Originally I wanted to wrap things up in this chapter, but there are still a few more scenes that I felt needed more time, so there could be one to two more chapters. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but this story was only supposed to be ten chapters long. Technically the last line is already written, I just need all the ones between here and there. But I am constantly closing the gap!

A side note, this chapter would have been out yesterday, but one of our classroom guinea pigs was unjustly put to sleep by upper management, and they want me to lie to the children about where he went. So it is safe to say I was doubly mad and was not in the mind to edit.

Stats:

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	16. the Prophecy

"Strawberry Smints," The dour potions master said to the gargoyle. He stayed in the hall and watched as the stairs formed, only stepping onto them when they were finished. He knew the Headmaster would be waiting for him even though he had not sent a message ahead of him requesting a meeting. After the many years he spent in the school he was past those weird feelings that used to come when the older man knew things he probably shouldn't.

"Ah, Severus, what a surprise!" Dumbledore crowed as Snape entered the office.

"I wasn't aware that you still possess the ability to be surprised." Snape spoke not with harshness, but with a dryness that sat on the far side of humor. Dumbledore smiled warmly at him as he took the seat across the desk from the Headmaster.

"My boy, you will find I posses many astounding abilities at my age!" Snape scowled at being addressed in such a way. He found it degrading for a man his age to be referred to as a _boy_. Dumbledore was not put off by Snape's dark mood. "For instance, did you know that I can eat a whole bag of exploding bonbons without getting anything in my bead? Quite the accomplishment if I do say so myself! But you are not here to discuss my confectionary prowess, are you Severus?"

"No," Snape said while clearing his throat, happy for the conversation to progress into a more serious and less annoying one. "I have news on what I assume is your latest project."

"And what project would that be?" Dumbledore questioned over his spectacles. At Snapes sharp and distrusting look Dumbledore elaborated, "I have many irons in the fire you see, please humor an old man and be a little bit more specific."

"I allude to the current affairs between Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger," Snape started.

" ," Dumbledore interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Snape said dryly.

"Hermione Granger is now Hermione Malfoy, well nearly anyway. Technicalities really, it's only a small matter of tidying things up now. It wouldn't do to continue calling her by her former surname. Which reminds me," Dumbledore breezed through his happy outburst, searching about the drawers of his desk. "It seems I need to find a suitable gift for the occasion." Snapes eyebrows nearly disappeared at the rate that they flew up in surprise. "Do you think they would like anything in here or should I look in an owl-order catalogue?"

"A gift? A GIFT! Two of your un-gradated students are finding themselves wed due some of the most ghastly circumstances and you are bothering yourself with what to give them?" Snape could not remain seated through his tirade and began to pace in front of the hearth, arms flailing to punctuate how exasperated how was. "Are you not concerned with what has led up to this? The repercussions it will have on everyone around? Did I forget to mention her _in-laws_ might be planning an attack on her life? And here you are wondering what to give them!" Snape slammed his hands on the desk with finality.

"Are you quite finished?" the headmaster questioned, "If so have a seat, I see we have much to discuss this evening." Disgruntled but without choice Snape returned to the chair. "Now then, I must admit while I am aware of these irregular events I have not had an active hand in them. Well, other than my correspondences with Narcissa and the table arrangements. That is all."

The air was tense as Snape digested the information. His face darkened considerably as he came to a conclusion.

"So, when you say you did not have an _active hand_ in the proceedings; you mean you knew yet allowed said things to transpire." Snape spoke through clenched teeth, his mind replaying what he learned from sifting through the senior Malfoy's mind. "Am I to assume there will also be no punishment for Potter? Just like his father! He is reckless and without consequences! And for what? What means to an end is this? I know there was a lot more at work here, but to know something foul would happen to your students, _our students_, and not try and prevent it? _Miss Granger_ deserves better from us."

"Severus, I am truly sorry that Hermione was put through such a difficult situation…now wait a minute, let me continue," Dumbledore cut Snape off before he could protest the headmaster's word choice, "It is a difficult situation. It was just as hard for those boys to go through as it was for her. You need to trust me when I say that while I am saddened by what occurred, that it had to happen."

"How can you sit there and say such utter garbage!" exploded Snape, his face contorted with rage. "Are you even listening to yourself? It _HAD_ to happen? Bollocks!"

"Yes, Severus, it did. Sometimes one must sacrifice a pawn in order to save the knight." Until now Dumbledore had stayed in his seat, but now he left it to peruse his shelves of knick-knacks.

"A pawn? Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her generation, is nothing but a pawn to you? Do you realize how much potential she has when it comes to rebuilding wizarding society and its ideals? By allowing such a break in trust she might decided after finishing her education or after this war to retire from magic, to return to being nothing more than a muggle. How can you think to gamble her future impact on the wizarding world for the sake of current play?" ranted Snape as he followed the older wizard about the room.

"Ah, but I never said she was a pawn, no, but if she were I would fathom she would return to the play as a much more powerful piece. If I dare to contemplate her actions I say she would only use this to fuel her fire for justice. No my boy," Dumbldore chose to ignore the glare he was receiving from Snape, "there is no denying her importance. However we must not neglect the importance of the other players on the field. I must admit I was surprised that it was Draco who stepped up to be her protector. I knew she would turn to your house, but quite frankly I thought it would be someone else." Dumbledore said pointly. Snape was at a loss when it came to what he might be implying, and even more confused as to how he knew what might happen. The Headmaster continued on without a pause, "Even more surprising was how he chose to do so. A binding bracelet? Your Godson is a rather smart wizard, you should give him more credit. In fact, one hundred points to Slytherin for thinking outside the box for an unusual solution."

Snape heaved a heavy sigh; it was all he could do not to strangle the headmaster. His patience was wearing thin and here the old coot was awarding house points and playing with bric-a-brac!

"Albus," Snape spoke the man's first name in hopes to anchor him to the moment. "I am done with riddles, you speak like you knew what was to come, but also as if you had no idea. I need to understand if we are to plan for what may come still."

"Which brings me to this." Dumbledore turned around, revealing to Snape a small glass orb the size of a muggle softball. The inside was clouded with a swirling mist and the air near it seemed cooler. "I am sure you will recognize this as Sybil's work. It came about before first term; I was having a meeting with her about her upcoming plans for the school year."

Snape narrowed his eyes. Once again it seems the headmaster deemed it unnecessary for him to know all the details before entering a conversation.

"What does it say?" demanded Snape as they moved back to the desk. Once seated Dumbledore took a last look at the glass bauble and stored it away in a drawer for later.

"She foretold of some tragic things to come involving Harry and Hermione, but was not specific. However its promises were such that I felt it was best to let things unfold as they must." Snape didn't like that Dumbledore chose to paraphrase, and that by doing so was able to omit information once again. "Now, don't give me that look Severus, you know that things like these can and should only be shown in full to those whom are immediately affected by them, and in this case that would be Harry, Hermione, and apparently Draco Malfoy. Not only is that very interesting, but proof that I was right to let things unravel as they will."

"What does my Godson have to do with this prophecy? How does he factor in here? What good is there in allowing him and Hermione to marry? All I see coming from this is the endangering of students. Lucius made a threat on her life! How is this proof of you doing the right thing?" It was growing late and Snape felt and urgency he knew that would not let him sleep tonight. He needed answers. He needed a plan of action.

"As for Draco's part here, I feel it is quite brilliant. Don't you see? The two are actually very well suited for each other. Without the transgressions of Harry and Ron, would the two have ever come together? Imagine what a power couple they will be when they reach peak into their magical maturity! Hermione alone would change the wizarding world, but together they will transform it! This great act will secure him from the Death Eaters and place him firmly into our camp. What advantages he will bring!"

Snape was loathing admitting Dumbledore was right. Together the two created such a dynamic that may end in history books. Both were magical prodigies, both were influential people in the public light. That is, if they managed to live to such a time. A threat from a Malfoy was not to be taken lightly.

"Compatibility aside, I feel it unwise to promote such a union at this time. We should encourage them to take the safe route, the one where we do not have students marrying in these halls. By stepping back it will return a safety to Miss Granger, one where Lucius Malfoy is not trying to kill her directly. I m not saying that they could not remain friends, retaining all the benefits you have pointed out, just that they not be wed." Dumbledore shook his head at Snape,

"I must disagree; I feel we should counsel them to further the relationship, letting their bond mature and securing safety from that." Snape was not one to back down in a disagreement, but knew here he would not change the Headmasters mind on the subject.

"How can you assure she will be safe on the upcoming Hogsmede trip?"

"I cannot make any extra assurances past what we provide for the rest of the students. Before you say it I will not ban them from going, I am learning that it only seems to make things worse when we forbid students from something as petty as a trip. Trouble will find them either way. Let them enjoy themselves for now. I also feel it is not my responsibility but young Malfoys to keep her safe at this point." Snape thought what the older wizard was saying was incredulous.

"And I cannot undo the damages already done, but I can try to prevent further ones to occur. " Snape challenged the Headmaster silently, rising from his seat to leave. He was out the door when he heard Dumbledore's voice drifted paper thin into the hall.

"If you must, but like I said, I believe this to be beyond us at this time."

oOo

Hermione had not talked with Draco immediately after dinner like he thought. In fact, he here he was on his way to Potions the next day and they still haven't had a proper conversation. Draco had mistakenly thought that they would have it out once they got back to the suit. The problem with that was Hermione didn't stay in the Jade Elephant suit. She walked right past him on the stairs and despite him directly asking her where she was off to she gave him the cold shoulder and wouldn't say a thing to him. He didn't need to ask her though, he knew where she was going the moment she past their floor.

It wasn't like he wanted to have an argument with her, just that he knew it was important to have this discussion and move on. Well, not _move on_ per se, but at least put things back to where they were before his parents visit. He knew she was mad at him for all the lies he had told her about the bracelet and what it really meant. He was constantly going to be in trouble for that one. It didn't help that he had lied multiple times and changed the story a bit each time. Now on top of that he was going to have town up to using the M-word so casually, but he was telling the truth in that moment. He wasn't thinking about blood status when he chose to take serious action. If only he could have phrased it differently.

He thought it was funny that after all that had occurred at dinner the previous night he was focusing on what was happening between Hermione and him, and almost completely ignoring the fact that his father tried to publicly shame him and then promptly disown him when he wouldn't comply. Almost that is. Draco knew it would only be a matter of time before Lucius would put his legals at work on making his disownment official. Now he would have to work twice as hard to get good marks to ensure a job once he left Hogwarts as he would not have his parents' money as a safety net. You think a guy could get some credit for walking away from a tremendous inheritance for a girl, but he had to go and pick the one girl who wouldn't care about any of that. The fact that she walked off without a word made him worry about his standing with her. If there was one thing Draco knew about Hermione is that she has an opinion on everything and would normally go on a tirade to let you know about it.

When Draco entered the potions classroom he noticed a few things. One: Potter wasn't there, meaning he was probably still in the infirmary. Two: Weasley was pretending not to look at some Gryffindor bloke. Three: Hermione was sitting next to Finnigan, the seats in front and behind her full. Draco narrowed his eyes; he was done with being avoided. Knowing he had only a few minutes before class started he jumped straight into his half formed plan to talk with her. First step was getting the seat next to her, hoping steps two through whatever would could to him once he was there.

"Oy, Finnigan, move," Draco said with as much intimidation he could put into three words. In the past Finnigan would have scurried out of his seat and he would have been reprimanded by Goody-Goody-Granger. On the other hand he wouldn't have been trying to sit next to her in the past other than to be antagonistic_. How things change_. Now that he was trying to get her attention he was being ignored, and not by just Hermione. Finnigan hadn't budged. He sent a nervous glance towards Hermione before turning a resolute stare at Draco.

"No."

"What was that?" Draco sneered while raising an eyebrow.

"Um, I believe I said no. As in I'm not moving. Hermione asked me to sit here, and, um, yeah, not moving." Finnigan's chest puffed out in what must be pride for standing up to Draco. Too bad, really, because had it been anyone else but Draco he might have been allowed to live in his moment of pride a bit longer. Malfoys get what they want, and right now he wanted to sit next to a bushy haired know it all that would rather not have him sit with her. Hey, just because a Malfoy wants something doesn't mean it has to make sense.

"And I believe that you will move," Draco said with a casual tone, trying a friendly approach. "You see here," Draco's voice became softer as he leaned towards the Gryffindor as if sharing a secret, "The little lady and I need to have a talk, personal you see. If I were you I wouldn't want to get involved by standing between us, or in this case, sitting."

Finnigan gulped nervously before gathering his belongings.

"Seamus!" Hermione snapped, "Where do you think you are going!"

"Sorry," Finnigan mumbled as he collected his lab gear while keeping his eyes averted. "One thing I learned by hanging out with my cousin and his gal this summer was to never get in between a disputing couple; Especially when they have their wands on them. You might lose more than your eyebrows."

"You worthless rat!" Hermione shrieked at him just as Professor Snape walked in.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for yelling," Snape said in a slow drawl as he walked to his desk, "and a detention for doing it in my class."

"But Professor," Hermione stuttered while reaching for an excuse.

"No buts Miss Granger, unless you want it to be your butt in detention during the Hogsmede trip this weekend." Snape and Hermione held eyes in a battle of the wills before she sat down in a huff. Even thought he had won Snape looked mildly disappointed about something. "Malfoy have seat, or would you like a detention too?"

"Actually, yes, give me one too," Draco said flippantly earning two glares and a load of curious glances.

"Would you now?" Snape asked, his tone promising that the man was not amused.

"Yes please," Draco said smugly "put me down for the same one."

"You do realize that this is highly irregular," Snape paused and looked between the two students ad if debating something. With a small smirk he looked directly at Hermione. "But if you insist. Your detention can be served during your lunch break today. Take a seat and we will begin today's lecture on how to brew the antidote to Moste Uncommon Poisons." Snape scowled at the resounding groans that ceom from around the room. "I know you were all expecting us to jump straight into the lab today, but as this is not a third year potion we will be giving it a bit more _consideration_. I trust to remember how fun it was to collect the ingredients for both the antidotes to common and uncommon poison? Well I can promise you that this will be so much more fun for the fact that we are not doing partners on this potion. You are seventh years, and will soon be doing everything on your own as you enter the real world. Now open your books and we will begin to examine Golpalott's fifth law…"

Draco's mind drifted off as Snape continued his monologue. It was going to be one of _those _lessons. The ones where he talked, Hermione waved her hand, Gryffindor looses house points and he sits there miserable because he wouldn't be able to talk with her until the end of their lesson. That was the one thing he was actually looking forward to. Lunch was after Potions on Mondays, so if he could just sit through the lesson he might have a chance to talk with her today. Until then all he could do was either listen to the lesson or daydream about winning the house cup…As much as it would be nice to let himself daydream he really needed top marks this year. _Listening to Snape it is._

oOo

Severus Snape was rather pleased with himself. He found a way to talk to both Hermione and Draco without too much work on his own part. Granted Draco had pretty much given him the opportunity, gift wrapped with a bow on top. Regardless, he had them both in his classroom waiting for their punishment, if one could call what he had in mind a punishment.

Seamus was the last student to leave. He gave Hermione an apologetic glace before ducking out. Hermione frown at him in return, her eyes throwing daggers at anyone who tried to hold them. The only person who was trying at the moment was Draco. Snape could see the boy was trying hard and almost felt regretful at what he was about to do. _Almost._ Despite knowing Dumbledore was right about the two have great possibilities together, it was not worth the risk of Hermione's life.

The two students sat their desks, waiting for Snape to speak. Well, might as well get straight to the point.

"Your relationship is putting Miss Granger in danger," Snape began. "You would do wise to take measures to ensure her safety."

Both of the students blanched at Snapes forwardness, neither one had expected this to come from their detention. Draco was the first to recover, narrowing his eyes as he asked,

"And what is it you would suggest?" _Good, the boy is right to be suspicious_.

"I would suggest that you break off the bond before it becomes too strong and cannot be undone."

"You cannot be serious," Draco quip.

"I can and I am," said Snape as he tried to impress upon the two his seriousness. "Do you not see that merely by being together she becomes an even greater target? It was bad enough for her to be a muggle-born friend of Harry Potter, but to be a muggle-born marrying into a pure blood family? The lists of those who wish her harm will more than double. While that trinket will grant her a meager amount of security, it may not be enough!"

"It will have to be enough!" Draco countered, "And if it isn't I will be there as well. Why do you think I did this in the first place? It was all to keep her safe! Now you want to tell me I should have just left her to fend for herself? No, she is safer with it, with me."

"Excuse me, still here!" Hermione waved her hand between the two men, annoyed they were talking about her as if she wasn't aware of their conversation. "Look, I know you both mean well. I know there are a lot of negative side effects to being connected to Draco, but quite frankly I am getting tired of people telling me what I should and shouldn't do when it come to my love life, or whatever you want to call it. In the end it doesn't matter what others think, it matter what I think! And I am trying to think! So everyone needs to back up!

"Besides, if I were to choose to stay in this, this, whatever it is; splitting up due to some threats would be stupid. No. This is my choice, not his parents, not yours," She said pointing to Snape, "and not yours," she finished as she pointed to Draco. The hopeful smile that had began to build on his face faded quickly. None of that let him know where they stood.

"Now if that's all this detention was about, I am going to get lunch." Before Snape could say anything in response she was already out the door. Draco gave him a sheepish look as he got up to follow her. This left Snape the rest of his lunch break alone with his thought on another strong minded Gryffindor from his past.

oOo

Hermione knew Draco would be hot on her heels as she left, and she wasn't ready to talk with him just yet. There were still facts that she was missing and she was determined to get them before making up her mind. Instead of taking the obvious rout to the great hall she ducked the opposite way to stop in the kitchen. After picking up a quick bite she set off to see the Headmaster.

She stood nervously in front of the grey gargoyle that stood guard to the headmaster's office. She didn't know the password, but it wasn't strictly needed for students needing to talk to man upstairs. She simply had to wait until the stair opened for her, a signal that he was there and free to talk at the moment. She didn't have to wait long, which was both good and bad. Her feelings towards Dumbledore had changed drastically in the past few days. Before she saw him as the kindly grandfather figure who was sometimes misguided in his old age. Now she wasn't sure who she saw him as, but the whole thing left a bad taste in her mouth. She knew he had a war to win, and many things to factor into it; but he should have tried something! No, she wasn't looking for more empty apologies, she was looking for answers. She wanted to know the other half of the prophecy. She needed to know what he felt was so important that made her somewhat expendable.

"Come in Mrs. Malfoy," Dumbledore called. Hermione stumbled as he addressed her. That was the first time someone referred to her directly as a Malfoy. It was odd but not entirely unpleasant. "Have a seat. Did you have any lunch? I could send for something if you would like?" He asked as she took her palce in the chair opposite of him.

"I'm fine thank you," She answered. "And Granger will do for now."

"Are you sure?" The old wizard smiled at her, his eyes giving off a twinkle that broadcast his amusement.

"Yes. Very sure."Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I came because I wanted to know more about the prophecy. While I still do not put much faith into such thing I feel I deserve to know what factored into your decision."

"I believe that is fair, and I thought you might come by and ask," Dumbledore spoke distractedly as he rooted about in a desk drawer. "That's why I had this made." In his hands he held the glass globe that housed a prophecy. "Do you know how a Prophecy Record is made?"

"Sir, this is hardly time for a lesson," said Hermione in attempt to steer him back to the original conversation. He simply smiled at her, a quiet request for her to humor him. "No, I do not," she answered, hoping that it would still lead her to the answers she sought.

"Starting with the obvious a powerful seer makes a prediction. Many such predictions never obtain the legacy of becoming a prophecy. Most don't achive more than allowing someone to know it will rain the next day. Others occur when there is no one around to hear them, and as many seers do not know the event has happened; the only evidence is the seer is left tired and with a blank space in time.

"It so happened I was present when Sybil had this premonition. I have been lucky to be around quite a few of hers.

"Anyway, that is the important part to making a Prophecy Record; another person must be there to witness it. Similar to when using a pensive, one pulls the thoughts from one's mind and disposes it in the proper receptacle. The reason you do not simply leave it floating in a pensive basin is that it is more than just a memory, it is a prediction made by someone else. That means it could be very personal to the seer or those mentioned in it. That's why it is best to seal it in a Prophecy Record. This ensures it can only viewed by a select few people. This includes the seer, the witness, and those who are mentioned."

Dumbledore sat the glass ball down as he allowed her to absorb the new information. If Hermione were a muggle it would look much like a cloudy snow globe. As a witch she was able to see much more. She saw the intricate lines of runes that curled about the base. She felt the cold of the item pulling magic and warmth from its surrounding to sustain it. Leaning closer she could see a dark form move in the swirling shadows.

"Go ahead, take a look," urged the headmaster, "think the incantation _secundum_ to activate it." Putting her own feelings about Divination aside she reached out to pick up the stormy orb. Like a pensive she was sucked into the memory once her fingers and magic touched it.

oOo

"_Good afternoon Albus, I must say that I am very excited about this upcoming term! According to Mars' angle to Saturn there may be the birth of a new fiery passion! It may be the passion for learning, Mercury will be in the right placement for that, but with Venus coming around the bend it could be more than that!" The woman with owlish glasses was none other than the Divination teacher herself. She busied herself with putting her shawls in the right position as she sat._

"_That's all very well Sybil, Strawberry Smint? I came across these delightful things during my last trip to muggle London. I think half the joy of eating them is receiving them from the container! It is very similar to the PEZ candy sent by my American pen pal."_

_Hermione rolled her eyes at this part of the memory, not sure which half of the conversation was more absurd. Lucky for Hermione she didn't have to wait long, as Trelawney reached for a smint she froze. The womans eyes glazed over and her voice changed an octive or two, her words came out in a monotone stream._

"_Inside Hogwarts walls a great wrong-doing will occur….the Chosen One will act not of his own mind but of one who is of great darkness, hurting those around him…He will alienate one of his friends to the point of her finding comfort in the house of Slytherin. A change of the heart will lead to a change of the mind, pulling some towards the side of good and saving others. A Great Ceremony will transpire, and a forgiveness most profound will protect those against the same darkness in the coming months. Inside Hogwarts the Boy-Who Lived will act not of his own mind and hurt those around him…"_

_The trance ended as abruptly as it began. The woman blinked several times before frowning._

"_I'm sorry Albus, I don't feel quite myself. In my excitement I must have skipped breakfast." _

_Hermione was distracted from the rest of the conversation as she felt her body pull her mind back to the present._

oOo

"That's it!" Hermione protested as soon as she could voice her opinion. "I knew it was all wooly before, but now I am convinced. How does any of that have anything to do with you deciding it was ok to let the boys do what they pleased? I should bring charges on you for this!"

"I should have known you might not see it the way I do. If you would let me explain-" Dumbledore was cut off by Hermione as she quickly stood to pace about the room. The force of her pushing back the chair caused the table to rock and sent the Prophecy Record hurtling towards the ground. It broke instantly upon impact, the ghost of Trelawney -an echo- repeated the prophecy as it escaped.

"What is there to explain? That says nothing about letting them violate me! I was well alienated long before then, and I went to Draco for comfort before then. That does not allow you to turn a blind eye!"

"I know how it must look from your end, but in my defense I did not know the extremes that you had been endured until after it had already transpired. That aside, you must acknowledge the other half of the prophecy. You did seek comfort from a Slytherin. Without your connection who knows what the boy might be getting himself into; It is a poor kept secret that his family has ties to the Death Eaters. Surly you can see what the effects of you bond is doing for him? He is questioning his family beliefs; even casting them aside to be with you. Who knows how many people his defection can save? Then there is all the potential created by your union."

"So everything is balanced because you get Draco on your side!" Hermione spat her words at Dumbledore as she turned on her heel.

"So are you saying his soul is not with it?" Dumbledore questioned.

"What?" Hermione paused in her pacing, truly stumped by what the headmaster meant.

"Draco's soul. The bond between the two of you pulls him steadfastly to the side of the light, saving his very soul from darkness. Knowing this, would you go back and change things? Would you abandon Draco, condemn him, for the sake of your own comfort?" Dumbledore trained his eyes on her as she froze. Would she? Would be able to willingly let Draco continue down the path to his eventual demise? Draco who was her unlikely hero? Draco who helped her when she didn't know who she could turn to? Draco who laughed with her as they ran up the stairs? Draco who took care of her when she was hurt? Draco who stood up to his parents for her? Draco who was willing to turn his back on his upbringing for her? Draco who looked so cute in his rectangular glasses? The thought of just letting him walk out of her life before he even entered made her heart hurt.

"No." Her answer was both surprising yet predicted.

"With that matter aside I expect you would like to complete your nuptials as soon as possible. It is not normally protocol for us to promote such activities within the school, but I feel here an exception must be made." Dumbledore ignored her new shock as he shuffled papers about his desk.

"Pardon?" Hermione inquired her face full of disbelief in the turn the conversation had taken.

"Well, if you don't feel comfortable doing it here I suppose arrangements could be made for a room in Hogsmede." Dumbldor continued to pull random papers around as if searching for something.

"Sir, I hope you are not talking about what I think you are," Hermione cringed as her faced paled.

"We are talking about you and Draco performing coitus to complete the enchantment of the Contegam Uxorem, are we not?" Here the headmaster paused, looking directly at her with his annoying twinkling eyes.

"Coitus?!" Hermione shouted.

"Yes, coitus," Dumbledore stated to Hermione mortification. "You know, copulate, fornicate-"

"SEX?!"

"-yes, sex." Dumbledore smiled at her as if they were talking about a new biscuit flavor.

"Eww, eww, and more eww!" Hermione shouted as she jammed her fingers into her ears and scrunched her eyes closed. "I am going to count to three and when I open my eyes-and ears- we are going to pretend I never heard my elderly headmaster talk about me having sex. Especially those other words. One. Two. Three." When she opened her eyes Dumbledore was still grnning at her knowingly.

"While I know this makes you uncomfortable I must advise you sort it out with Draco. I feel it is very important to your safety that you activate the enchantment on your bracelets fully. This will help keep you safe as it can do more once complete. It not only acts as a shield to lower level curses, but has the ability to detect poisons and those who wish to harm you. It has been made known to me that there is already a threat to your life, and this may be the thing that saves you."

"And this conversation is officially over," Hermione stated as she walked to the door. "I already told Professor Snape that I will not let others tell me what to do with my personal life. While I will not break things off with Draco due to threats, I will also not step into that level of a commitment because of connivance. And not that it's any of your business but I don't think either of us is ready for _that-which-must-not-be-said-by-old-pervy-men_. Gross."

Hermione left the office, visibly trying to shake off the heebie-jeebies the conversation left her with. Between Dumbledore making bad calls based on a bunch of hogwash and him saying words she never wanted to hear from him; her opinion of the man only seemed worse on her way out of his office than on her way in. Hopefully a good long Ancient Runes lecture could cure the unpleasantness the visit gave her.

oOo

AN: hey guys, it's been a while, I know. Good news. I do have a couple of betas that are willing to go over this story. That means there will be a lot of 'updates' that are not really updates. Sure, there will be a few minor changes, but I am guessing most of them will be grammar and spelling. More good news. I have the next chapter clear in my head, along with the epilogue. Their outlines are complete, where some of the facts had been holding me up for a long while. This means that as soon as my betas are done coming through the story it should be complete soon. Very soon. Don't be sad, I do have a few other stories I have been hitting about in those long weeks (months?) between updates.

Side note: I had a review recently from a reader who was upset at my decision to have Hermione forgive Harry. After sending a few PM's I hope I helped clear up any misunderstandings. Hermione may have forgiven harry, but that doesn't mean everything is ok with them. They don't walk out into the sunset all happy together. She forgave his actions that she knew wasn't his, but that doesn't mean all the negative feelings are just gone. I was not meaning to belittle anyone's real world experiences with rape or non-consensual sexual advances, or make them feel negatively about themselves because they cannot forgive their abuser. I am also not saying they have to forgive their abusers, or those involved.

The same reviewer was upset because she felt I was negatively portraying those who are gay. If you have read this far you know that harry was not ever really gay, but Ron is. Ron's sexuality and his acceptance will be explored briefly in the next chapters. I know I had both Draco and Blaise say negative things about Ron and Harry. I deliberately had them hold those views because we have to be realistic, not everyone is going to be supportive or quite. It's an ugly part of life. (Lets also remember what Lucius said about he would rather Draco be gay than in a relationship with a muggleborn.) Also I want to recognize that I did use Ron in the attack against Hermione, but that has nothing to do with his sexuality. Not all gay men are abusive aggressors. That was not the point I was trying to make either. I have another story in the works that explores a similar theme, that gender roles and preferences' aside, that anyone could be cast in any role. There is a lot more to a person's psyche than their perceived gender.

I hope that clears up with the help of my betas.

Next chapter contains something that I am afraid that I was a bit heavy-handed with the foreshadowing. Let me know if you can guess what will happen next! (ps, what type of warnings should I place at the begning of the first chapter next time, and should this AN be part of the story's preface?)


	17. The End

The school week slipped by for Hermione as she buried herself into her studies. She wasn't studying for a big test; those were still a way off. No, she was busy avoiding people. There seemed to be so much pressure that came with all the events from the last month. It's not a surprise that she should feel the need for a little alone time. Not everyone agreed with that sentiment, so she was forced to get creative with her hiding places.

After Monday's classes she took her books into the kitchen. She was asked politely by an old elf not to return because she was making the elves nervous, they were afraid she was plotting to give them clothes again.

Tuesday she packed up and tried doing her work at Hagrid's. While he was more than happy to have her as company, she decided herself not to use his house as a study place; between him and Fang she did not accomplish much.

Wednesday she attempted to use the girl's bathroom on the second floor, but that only lasted until Astronomy. Myrtle was more than a distraction with her depression; she ruined several of Hermione's scrolls by splashing them when she dived into the toilets. After Astronomy she decided it would be best to finish her work in the girl's dorm. That was only semi-successful because while the girls in her year were too busy to bother with her; Ginny would not leave her alone until she promised to go with her to Hogsmede on the weekend.

Thursday evening she felt guilty knowing that twice this week she had abandoned Draco when it came to his Muggle studies homework. She just wasn't ready to face him after hearing Dumbledore urge her to further their relationship. She was still trying to digest all that she had learned, so she was off to Ravenclaw to help Angus Bradley with a joint Charms paper. While the evening went smoothly and Angus was no slacker, Hermione didn't see herself working in the Ravenclaw common room unless she was there for a specific purpose. Plus Luna stared at her nearly the whole evening; waiting until Hermione was packing up to leave to wander by and comment on how either fair hair with dark eyes or steely eyes with wild hair would make for a curious yet alluring combination. Not waiting to ponder where Luna's thoughts were; Hermione had finished collecting her things and left with a polite goodbye to both Angus and Luna.

By the time Friday cam Hermione was exhausted at running about to do her work in private and chanced working in the main library. Unfortunately for her Peeves was making war with Madam Pince. Apparently he had heard her say how proud she was of the peace she had established in her library. Seeing that as a personal challenge Peeves took it upon himself to create as much noise and havoc as he could, and then some. Hermione did not have the patience to wait until the Bloody Baron was called to set things at right. Seeing how she did have moist of the weekend to hide about and work she decided to call it a night and go to bed early.

And that was just her evenings. Each class shared with Slytherin was a careful balance of waiting and planning so that she could secure a seat away from both Ron and Draco. Harry had been easy to avoid, he wasn't allowed to leave the infirmary until Saturday afternoon. Hermione was very conscious about leaving the classrooms as soon as possible, and spending limited time in the Great Hall for meals.

She knew avoiding everyone was unrealistic solution, so when the weekend finally rolled around she was ready to face the music, or at least Ginny.

oOo

The red haired girl waited by the main doors of the castle for her friend. She was glad she had convinced Hermione to come out with her; it seemed like it had been ages since they had a chance to really talk. Lingering by the door, she watched as the Slytherin Quidditch team carried their brooms towards the field. Next weekend was the first game of the year and Ginny was determined to beat them. At the tail of the group walked Malfoy and Zabini. Malfoy kept his eye to the ground as they passed, sulking about something. Zabini was trying to engage Malfoy in casual conversation, prodding him forward as they lagged behind the group. Zabini caught Ginny's eyes right as they were almost out of sight and flashed her a smile. Ginny narrowed her eyes in response. A smiling Slytherin wasn't a good thing in her book….but it did make her wonder more about what Malfoy had said to her the other day.

Ginny was about to give up on waiting for Hermione and go look for her when the familiar mass of bushy brown hair came rushing down the stairs.

"Sorry for making you wait Ginny, I almost forgot to give Crooks his breakfast, and you know how he can be a right beast if he skips a meal; so it was back up the stairs for me!" Ginny listened to the excuse without comment. She knew Hermione well enough to know that she didn't forget things like feeding her pet. Ginny snuck a look at the bracelet that lay dormant on her friends wrists. That's what hanging about Slytherins got you, little lies for covering up something a small as a case of the nerves. Sure, Ginny planned to give Hermione the tenth degree to find out what has been happening, but that wasn't something to be too nervous about.

"Whatever," Ginny said nonchalant, "Let's get going, I want to pick up a new pair of gloves before next week's match."

The walk there was filled with small talk, Hermione was expertly steering the conversation away from what Ginny wanted to know. For now Ginny would allow her, but once they settled into a booth at the Three Broomsticks she planned to not let up until she had some sort of answer. Until then they meandered through the shops, mostly just looking. As a Weasley many of her trips through the stores were only to look and want, but that's not what bothered Ginny today. Hermiones constant fiditing was driving her crazy. Soon Ginny decided that her questions couldn't wait, they were on their way to the small pub now.

"So you and Malfoy?"

oOo

Hermione was a bit shocked at Ginny's sudden bluntness. Here she thought they would get through a normal trip without any of the craziness from the castle. No such luck.

"Um, yeah, I'm not sure where to start with that one," Hermione shivered a bit, pulling her cloak closer around her.

"How about we start with the beginning," Ginny countered, not to be deterred from the information she sought, "Since when are you and Malfoy even friends?"

"It's kind of a long story, and I'm not sure if 'friends' is the right term to use here…" Hermione was trying to keep her voice low as they entered the old inn. Many of the tables were already full of other students and they took a small table at the far end of the room.

"Don't get all technical with me Hermione, just spit it out? What common ground could you two possibly have to end up together?" Hermione was saved from giving an immediate answer as the waiter approached. Hermione felt Ginny's stare hold her as they ordered; she got a pumpkin juice while Ginny requested Gillywater and they got an order of chips to split. As the waiter left Ginny leaned forward,

"Well?" She prompted.

"Well, honestly?" Hermione took a deep breath as she contemplated how much to tell her younger friend. Ginny continued to gaze at her with an intensity to rival her mother. "Honestly it started when Harry and Ron threatened me." The words came out small and weak, but the impact they had on Ginny was great.

"THEY WHAT!"

oOo

While Hermione was telling Ginny the sordid story of her abuse Pansy sat not far away; she was preparing to follow through with her plan to eliminate Hermione. After hearing Hermione place her order Pansy sidled up towards the bar.

"Pumpkin Juice," she requested from the barman. Pansy herself didn't care for the drink too much, preferring the tartness of Pomegranate juice over the pumpkins sweet, almost melon-like, taste. She smiled to herself in the mirror as the barman prepared both her drink. Staring at herself over his shoulder she silently congratulated herself on such a perfect plan. It was simple enough; quickly she emptied a small vial of moonseed poison into the thick juice. She chose this poison for the particular reason that if by some chance it was traced back to her she wouldn't be facing murder charges. On the way back to her table she intercepted the waiter who was delivering the Gryffindor's drinks. Under the guise of steadying his tray after bumping into him; she swapped the clean juice with the one she had tampered with. Returning to the table she sat back to watch as the moonseed poison would place the mudblood into a very deep and long sleep.

oOo

"So let me get this straight; Harry and my brother have been snogging since last summer, and together they attacked you because you-know-who controlling Harry? That excuse is absolutely barmy! While I understand what it's like to have Tom in your head, my brother had no one in his head telling him what to do. If mom doesn't hex his balls off I will!" Ginny was fuming through her whole re-cap.

"Well, he did admit that he wasn't exactly thinking with his –ahem- head at the time." Hermione scrunched her face, not really enjoying this retelling, but going through it anyway. She felt that in a way Ginny had a right to know what had happened. Plus it was a bit of a relief to Hermione that another female knew what she had gone through.

"OK, eww, I don't want to think about Ron like that." Ginny had a look of disgust as the waiter delivered their drinks. "It's like walking in on your parents doing _the business_. You have siblings and you exist, so you know they do _it_; but you hope you never have to witness it on accident. So, yeah, I have brothers, and I know they think about and do _things_, but I don't want to think about them thinking about or doing _them_."

Hermione laughed a bit and played with her drink, watching her reflection morph as she swirled the liquid around.

"It is a bit of a surprise, him not guarding the post from the other team. In fact last I thought he fancied you." Ginny sipped her Gillywater as Hermione picked at the chips.

"Was that ever doomed to fail!" Both girls laughed at this statement. "But you are really okay with him being gay? I would have thought wizards to be even more conservative than muggles."

"Nah, while it will take a bit of time getting used to it there isn't much to do but accept him the way he is. After all, Percy is the biggest prat in the world and we accept him. Besides, this is one of the things the wizarding world is less particular about. In fact many of the Greats were that way. Rumor is that not only was Merlin, but that Dumbledore is as well." Hermione almost choked on a chip at this last statement. In her rush to wash it down she grabbed Ginnys gillywater.

"Hey now, what's all that about!" Ginny protested the consumption of her drink.

"Sorry, it's just thinking about Dumbledore and sex…" Hermione shuddered a bit.

"Well, when you put it that way, it is always gross to think about old people sex, no matter the gender." Ginny stuck out her tongue and Hermione chuckled.

"No it's not just that, I talked to Dumbledore earlier this week and he was all, 'You and Draco should have coitus'," Hermione spoke the last part in her best Dumbledore impression, which while far off its mark was still pretty humorous.

"Shut up!" Ginny snickered while slapping the table. "Did he really say that?" At Hermione's nod Ginny laughed even harder. After a moment of sobering Ginny looked Hermione dead on and asked, "Why not? I mean he is gorgeous, and you are practically married anyway!"

"I don't know, it's all a bit much right now…" Hermione was once again in uncomfortable waters.

"Come on," Ginny insisted, "I saw the way you two were together the other day. " Ginny gave Hermione a sly smile as she sing-songed her next sentence. "_You wanna kiss him, you want to touch him you wanna_-"

"Ginny you're embarrassing me!' Hermione interrupted. She knew her face must be as red as her friend's hair. "Besides, I really don't know. While I admit he has been great to me, and I might-_might-_have feeling for him…it's all been too fast. Plus I can't tell you how many times he has lied to me about the status that comes with this bracelet!' Hermione shook her wrist to emphasize her point. "Then there is all this mess about a prophecy."

"Hmm," Ginny smiled at Hermione's protests. "Still, I think you should give him a chance, see what's there. After all, an old style magical wedding is so romantic."

"Yeah, right," Hermione snorted, causing another chip to lodge uncomfortably in her throat. Only this time, she picked up the right glass.

oOo

On the quidditch field Draco was trying to blow off some steam. He knew he should be focusing on the upcoming match against Gryffindor. It might be the first game of the year, but as a matter of pride it was the most important of the year. Still, he mind was distracted by how well Hermione avoided him this past week. He knew that any minute Graham was going to bench him if he couldn't attempt to stay focused. Sure enough the Slytherin captain was banking his way when Draco caught the sight of his father's owl headed straight for him. With deft hands he received the letter, ignoring Graham as he quickly read it. He waved off the bird and took off with no explanation to his team.

As the castle grew closer he heard Graham threaten to replace him with Harper if he didn't get back this instant. Draco couldn't care less about the game after reading the letter from his mother. He didn't care about the professors as they docked points for flying through the corridors. He didn't even care to explain anything to Snape as he dashed into the potions classroom and brazenly stole a vial from his head of house's desk. Once again he flew through the building, costing Slytherin a large amount of house points. None of that mattered to him as he sped across the grounds towards Hogsmede.

No amount of trepidation could prepare him for what he saw when he entered the Three Broomsticks. Lying on the floor with her robes sprawled under her, limbs convoluting erratically was Pansy. Above her was Hermione leaning in to kiss her. Shocked by the display, Draco watched as Hermione placed her hands on Pansy's chest, pumping them to some unknown rhythm.

"What are you doing!"

"CPR," came her quick reply as she repeated her earlier actions. "Muggle rescue technique."

"Again, are you even a witch?" Draco swore as he rushed forward and dropped onto his knees next to them. He was vaguely aware of the other wizards and witches in the room who were stunned as he was earlier.

"Witch, yes," she breathed as she continued to pump, "Mediwitch, no."

"Well, get off, whatever this muggle thing you are doing is not going to help." He tried to push Hermione away, but she stubbornly continued her ministrations.

"I'm not going to let someone die if I can help it!"

"I'm not suggesting you do that! She needs an antidote; don't you recognize the signs of bloodroot poison?" This stopped Hermione's actions.

"No," she scanned Pansy as the girl went through another spasm. Draco pulled Pansy close to him and uncorked the vial.

"That's my potions assignment!" Hermione said with recognition in her voice, her eyes reading her own handwriting. _Moste Uncommon Poisons-Antidote: Hermione J. Granger, Seventh Year Gryffindor._

"Yes, I knew it would be best one to grab. Help me hold her still while I give it to her." Hermione complied, grabbing pansy's jerking shoulders.

"Please tell me it was at least graded before you took it," Hermione admonished the blond as he poured the liquid into Pansy's slack mouth.

"Does it really matter?" Draco knew the answer before he asked her, but chanced a quick smile as he did.

"No."

Pansy calmed drastically after ingesting the whole vial, but her temperature was still hot. The potion has saved her but she would still need medical attention. Crisis averted he relaxed and took Hermione's hand. That's when he noticed her own temperature was above normal and her fingers had a small twitch to them.

"Did you drink anything here?" He asked with a grim expression.

"She didn't," the She-Weasley interrupted, announcing her presence to Draco. "She was about to when we saw Pansy collapse." Draco was puzzled for a moment until he realized the answer was starring him in the face.

"The Seperare thing!"

"its C-P-R," Hermione corrected.

"Doesn't matter," Draco said dismissively. "When you put your mouth on hers you absorbed some of the poison.'

"So?" Ginny questioned, "Just give her some of the antidote and all is good."

"I can't! I only grabbed the one vial."

oOo

While Draco and Ginny were talking; Hermione registered she was having symptoms of something gone wrong. Along with the tremor in her hand her blood felt like it was beginning to simmer.

"I'll take her to the castle; you make sure the authorities know as much as possible when they arrive." Hermione heard the words come from Draco, but couldn't focus on his face, instead she vaguely observed the fact he was in his Quidditch uniform. Her attention was snapped into focus at his next words.

"Come on, we will get there faster if we fly." Hermione looked at his outstretched hand and blanched.

"No," She refused and took a step back. Her rejection was not strong as she wobbled when she moved. Logically she knew she would not be able to walk all the way, however her irrational-to her a very rational- fear of flying took precedent.

"Come on," he repeated, "We don't have time for this!" Without her permission he grabbed her, and next thing she knew she was soaring through the air, the ground retreating rapidly below her. "Hold on," he commanded gently. She screamed and closed her eyes, trying to block out most of the sensations. Behind her she felt Draco's hard chest, and around her like a cage his arms held her steady on the broom. Chancing a look she peeked opened her eyes. Hogwarts was right in front of them now, and rushing towards them on the ground was a dark flock of something. Through her blurry eyes she recognized them as her teachers. The broom that carried them began a sharp descend; Hermione wasn't sure if it was her broom-sickness or the poison but she felt herself fade into darkness once they touched the ground.

oOo

Hermione woke in the hospital wing to the sound of someone humming lightly. Turning her head to the source she saw platinum blond hair above sharp pale features. Her vision was still hazy as she sought out familiar grey eyes.

"Draco," She said with a smile. The blond snorted in a very un-Draco-like fashion, followed by a very bubbly and feminine laughter. Hermione rubbed her eyes as she saw blond hair lengthen into bright blue curls. Hermione knew instantly who she was looking at as the chin softened and the eyes turned a violent shade of purple.

"Tonks!"

"The one and only," Tonks gave a quick theatrical bow before returning to her seat. "I thought I would test a theory, turns out I was right." Hermione sat up, her sight now clear as she took in the older witch.

"And what theory would that be?" She questioned.

"Oh, I heard that you were poisoned because you fancied my little cousin." Tonks gave her a wide and toothy grin, "Well, more than fancy if the rumors are true."

"Tonks, that was very unfair, you could have just asked me!" Hermione slapped her playfully on the arm.

"Aw, where would the fun be in that?" Tonks laughed as she put her arm up to block Hermione's pillow.

"Seriously, not that I'm complaining," Hermione smiled as she settled back down into the creaky infirmary bed, "but what are you doing here?"

"Official business." Tonks straightened up, her demeanor becoming more serious followed by her features. The blue waves of hair straightened and darkened all at once, her eyes morphing to a deep mulberry purple. "I wasn't joking when I said you were poisoned."

"But I wasn't," Hermione insisted. "Pansy was, I was only affected because I tried to save her."

"That's only partially true," Tonks amended. "The poison was meant for you. Well, actually, they were both for you."

"Both?" Hermione echoed.

"Yeah, turns out you are a very popular lady among some nefarious people. Actually, only one of them is truly nefarious, the other is more along the lines of spiteful." Once again Tonks' looks shifted, this time returning to their lighter variations. "Pansy would have been fine if she had not also attempted to drug you. She was actually quite lucky that Aunt Sissy decided to warn Draco.

"Aunt Sissy?" Hermione wad once again repeating Tonks words, this time because how ridiculous the title sounded. The term was so informal that it didn't fit the stern Malfoy matriarch.

"Yeah, she hates to be called that so mum insists upon it." Tonks leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on Hermione's cot. "Anyway, she sent a letter to Draco that sent him in a tizzy. I heard Slytherin lost five hundred house points or more when he tore through the halls for the antidote. Lucky for you and Pansy that Snape thought something might happen and put that potion into the syllabus. Double lucky for you that the old bat brought more antidotes along with him when he took off after Draco. I mean, you weren't too bad off, but it sure helped.

"Back to what I was saying about good ol' Aunt Sissy, she knew that Uncle Lucy," Hermione openly guffawed at this one, so Tonks said it again for extra measure, "Uncle Lucy was going to try and poison you. It's all in the letter. Says a bunch of fluff about how Draco's happiness is more important to her than her prejudices, especially since she knew Draco would never forgive her or his father if something were to actually happen to you. Some weird bit about a dress alteration at the end; and how she saw it as a sign that you were 'the one' or some rubbish. The letter is as good as a confession and we are brining Uncle Lucy in on attempted murder charges, the barman is also being charged as an accomplice. Pansy is getting off on a lesser charge- _attempt to enchant in a lasting way._

"That brings us to now. I am here to watch over you for a bit as well as get your statement- paperwork is the bitch part of being an Auror. Moody is in Dumbledore's office collecting everyone else's right now; otherwise Draco would still be here. When it comes down to it little Drake is not such a bad kid, I can see he really cares about you."

Almost on cue the doors swung inward, revealing a very tired looking Draco. He cut a very dashing figure in his Quidditch uniform, the cloak discarded elsewhere. Their eyes met for a moment before he rushed forward.

"You're awake!" Draco breathed the words into her ear as she found herself in a near crushing hug.

"Yes, it looks like you saved me again." Hermione sighed contently as the embrace lessoned slowly as he extracted himself to sit by her. She had a feeling that he would have stayed glued to her side if Tonks had not cleared her throat.

"Cousin," Draco spoke formally as he greeted Tonks, his face stiff as he met her gaze. In Tonks-style she gave a upward nod of the head followed by a 'sup'. Hermione stifled a giggle as she could tell Draco didn't know how to really respond. His jaw set in a determined glower as he settled upon a request. "Do you mind giving us a minute?"

"Not at all," the Metamorphmagi said airily as she stood to leave. "I'll be back in a bit to get that statement." For the second time in the span of five minutes Hermione found herself in a warm hug, this time by Tonks. "Be easy on him and welcome to the family."

They waited until Tonks closed the door before turning to each other again. Draco once again pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly and pressing kisses onto her brow. As nice as it was to be held against his chest, he was overdue for a major ass chewing, so Hermione pushed him away.

"Can I start by saying I'm sorry and we skip straight to the part where make up? I missed you this last week…"Draco gave her a very hopeful smile, holding onto her hands in a steadfast refusal to let her go completely. Hermione frowned at him, her eyes dropping to trace the insignia on his uniform. "I suppose not. I really am sorry, for most of everything."

"Most of everything?" She questioned.

"Well, I'm not sorry for kissing you, or for this," He said as he hooked his finger onto her bracelet. The proximity between the matching set of jewelry set them alive and the snakes did a lazy lap around their wrists before becoming dormant once more.

"You should be sorry about that," Hermione retorted.

"Why?" Draco caught her chin with his hand, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Because you chose a mudblood," Hermione's voice was flat as she spoke and Draco hissed as he pulled air through his teeth.

"That's something regret saying, but only for my choice in words. I meant it when I said I wasn't thinking about blood status when I sent for the heirloom. The only thing I was thinking about was keeping you safe…and making you mine. Your amazing Hermione, I only wish that I had seen it sooner." He tried to lean in and kiss her, only for his lips to land on her cheek as she turned her head away.

"You don't mean that!" her words came out almost too forcefully. He ignored them as he reached for her again.

"But I do, I wouldn't be here if I didn't mean it." This time he was more successful, his kiss reaching its destined target on her mouth. She gave into the kiss, savoring the moment before withdrawing slightly. His breath tickled her lips as he breathed.

"Then why all the lies?" She stayed close as she whispered to him. "Every time you had the chance to tell me the truth you lied. Why?"

"Truthfully I was afraid. I was afraid if I told you the truth you would reject me. Here I was, discovering wheat Hogwarts had hidden for me in plain sight, and I thought if you knew what this relic did you would never agree to it. I had to keep you safe." He closed the gap between them once more. They were stuck in a limbo of push and pull.

"You were right," Hermione admitted and was struck by the hurt on his face. "I would not have agreed to enter a marriage based on connivance, even when the connivance is my own safety." Her words only seemed to compound his hurt.

"But it's more than that, I love you." Draco's admission hit her harder than the pain on his face. She wasn't prepared for that, she didn't know what to say. "Tell me you feel something too?" He pleaded.

"Draco, I wish I could," She started to say and he instantly began to pull away. She latched onto him, and this time it was her that kissed him. He was reluctant, his lips becoming as hard as stone. "Hear me out, I do feel something, but I don't know if it's love. Up until this school year we knew each other only as enemy and rival, and suddenly we are connected by a shared experience and magic. I need more than that. I need to know you before I can know what my feelings for you truly are."

"But you do know me," his voice came out as a soft whine, a pout blooming on his face. "I'm the same Draco I have always been, only better. What is really holding you back?"

Hermione traced the veins on the back of his hands, contemplating his question for a minute.

"When I look past the lies you told me I think about how we were used as pawns in this war, how we are probably going to continue being used." Draco scoffed at her words.

"We were always pawns in this war, only I just now realized this side has better assets." Hermione rolled her eyes and ignored his statement.

"Like I said, I feel like I barely know this side of you, this sweet and amazingly kind side. I would like to see more of it, to get to know you and give us a chance. But marriage? That's too big of a step for me right now. To be completely frank I'm not even sure if I could be physical with anyone at the moment. I need time to heal." Draco seemed to relax next to her once more. He smiled as he pulled her close.

"I'm not asking for more than you are willing to give. This right here is enough for me right now." They sat in silence for a moment before Hermione dared a question.

"Are you sure?" She snuggled in closer to him, soaking up the safety she felt in his embrace. He gave her a tight squeeze before responding.

"More than anything I am sure, and for so many reasons. You are more than worth the wait, besides there are things I need to do first." His silent understandings as well as his support made her feel so secure and unpressured. Most of their rushed relationship had been under so much pressure, and it was a relief for most of the weight to be lifted away. However she was curious,

"Oh yeah? What type of things?"

"Well to start, I need to finish my education. Once I leave this school I will be a man without just money, I will be without a name. It might seem like I would be better without the Malfoy name, but a wizard needs a way to provide for his family, and a name is a large part of that." Hermione's stomach did a flip followed by small butterflies as he said the word family. It spoke to the depths of his thoughts on the subject of their future together.

"You know the only part I care about is the part where you finish you education. In fact I know a certain muggleborn who can help you pass muggle studies." She meant the words to come off as light and teasing, but they came out more as a solemn promise. He smiled widely and it dawned on her that she agreeing to spend time with him, giving him a frequent chance to show himself to her. The thought of getting to know him over school work in study room three added to her growing butterflies.

"Secondly I plan on winning Slytherin the House Cup at least once before graduating Hogwarts. If Graham is willing to let me play, I plan to beat Gryffindor next Saturday. No, not only will I beat them, if I do you will cheer for me from the Slytherin bleachers for the remaining games."

"You wish!" She mocked him. It was funny how once all the uncertainties were out in the open how easy it was to slip back into their playful banter. "It will take a lot of luck for you to beat us!"

"No, as I say, luck has nothing to do with it, only Slytherin ambition!"

oOo

FIN!

Stay tuned for the epilogue, I know it feels like I'm leaving a few things hanging, but that is what epilogues are for. If there is something you really feel that I should have explained better, or explored more, remember this story is under review by a beta, giving me a last chance to refine this story to the best it can be. So go ahead and leave a review telling what was you felt was the most original, what parts you liked, what you think it could have done without, what you wanted more of, or just what's on your mind, and after the epilogue I will start posting the corrected conent.


	18. The Epilogue

Hermione was bundled up in her scarf as she sat high in the bleachers. It seemed the whole school was out to watch Hufflepuff in their last game of the season. So far they had been unbeatable, leaving only Slytherin between them and a perfect score. Hermione looked about the pitch as students settled in, waiting for the game to start. From her high vantage point she could see the bright speck of red that signaled Ron sitting in the Hufflepuff stands. Nearby Ron was the odd assembly of Hufflepuff first years, sporting an odd mix of Hufflepuff yellow and Slytherin green.

Hermione was watching the game next to Ginny, but in the Slytherin stands. In fact, Hermione had watched all the games from the Slytherin stands this year. Draco had not been allowed to play the first game after all, and Hermione had joined him in watching the game. He was very irritable at not being able to play, and even mores so when Slytherin lost to Gryffindor. Even after Gryffindor won Hermione continued watching the games on this side of the pitch.

Ginny had surprised many by joining them to watch the games she wasn't playing. At the Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw game Blaise had been over the moon that she chose to hang in the Slytherin stands. However his joy at her closeness was short lived. Ginny developed feelings towards Blaise over the time they spent together with their mutual friends. Ironically, by the time she was completely enamored with him Blaise had a change of heart. While he loved many of her features from afar they were too much for him to handle close up. From a distance she was fiery, passionate, clever and loving. Up close she was temperamental, loud, devious, and controlling. Not to mention her want to continue her families tradition of having a very large family. Bolstered by Blaise's initial attempt to pursue her Ginny became very possessive and clingy. Ginny saw his sudden disinterest as a game and continues to aggressively chase after him. Hermione suspected that the sudden loss of Harry might have played a part in this, but chose not to intervene with Ginny's desire for Blaise in case it wasn't.

It was always a bittersweet moment when Hermione reflected upon Harry. In the end she chose to separate the good memories from the bad ones when she thought back on her times as his friend. This was the way she chose to cope with the outcome of the final battle.

The fight came to Hogwarts the day before students were scheduled to climb onto the Hogwarts Express to go home for the winter holidays. Hermione had been with Ginny at the time of the attack, they fought through the main halls to protect those who were too shocked or surprised to fight back. Several times the snake charm on her wrist grew to shield her from incoming hexes and curses. They knew Voldemort was there somewhere when they saw Bellatrix Lestrange. It was obvious the woman was unhinged as she danced about the battle, humming and singing happily as she threw a series of curses about. Hermione was astonished when Ginny took her down with an amazing array of hexes. However impressive they were they only put her out of the fight momentarily. Hermione and Ginny had their backs to her body as they were defending themselves from another death eater and didn't see the mad woman rise and aim at them. A battle cry that stunned the whole hall signaled the Order's arrival as Molly Weasley charged at Bellatrix, taking the dark witch down forever.

By the time the Order arrived the main battle had already taken place in the astronomy tower. Harry was found muttering gibberish while pulling out hair. The only trace of Voldemort was his robes that swaddled a small infant. It wasn't until Harry was a resident of the Janus Thicky Ward in that they were able to put together enough of the evidence to guess what had happened. Harry had performed a very powerful magic to reset Voldemort back to his infancy. This child would have no recollection of his past at all and be given a new chance at life. By doing this he also performed a magical act of forgiveness, breaking all ties of Voldemorts dark magic. Those in the Order were the only one who knew the whole story, thus making it possible to place the child into a loving home to grow up with a boring but normal life.

Hermione had not been pleased with the outcome; she felt her suffering and sacrifice should be enough payment to keep Harry safe. Dumbledore tried to explain that by looking at the wreckage in the tower it is obvious that her magic mixed with his mothers protected him so that he could cast his spell. He told her that it was Harry's own spell that left him in that state. Dumbledore said that by looking through the books and notes that Harry had left behind, Harry knew that the magical backlash of his spell would render him unsound of mind. Maybe if he had a few more months he would have found a safer way to cast the spell, but they would never know. Still unhappy with the answer, Dumbledore told her of the other lives that were saved due to the chain of events that she was part of.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was escorting his houses first years to the Hufflepuff dorms when they were cut off by a small group of Death eaters headed by Marcus Flint. Justin while noble in his endeavors was no match for Flint. Draco had been on his way out of the library and towards the fight when he came across the scared herd of Hufflepuffs and the unconscious Justin. It was really fortunate for the first years that Draco was there to save them as Flint was remembered for his ruthlessness. Single handedly Draco fought off Flint and his cronies until he was joined by none other than Ron. Having won the skirmish it was apparently that Justin needed medical attention. Draco wanted Ron to take the Hufflepuffs to safety and he would take care of Justin, but the young Hufflepuffs became so enamored with him, they did not want their 'protector' to leave them. So as it was Ron took Justin to the hospital wing while Draco gained a pack of loyal Hufflepuff firsties. Other than Draco's alliance with the light saving the entire first year class of Hufflepuff, it was noted that Blaise Zabini who would have been neutral before was actively fighting for the light.

After the holidays it was announced that Dumbledore would be resigning, leaving the headmastership to Snape. The Potions Master had scowled upon the news, stating the old codger would deny him the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professorship as his last act as Headmaster. To be equally spiteful Snape declined the position, saying that he would retire and spend the rest of his days making healing potions for as penance for what he had done during the war. This left Hogwarts without a headmaster, that being it gained a Headmistress instead; Headmistress McGonagal to be precise. She harbored no ill feeling at not being the first pick, instead she simply lifted her head and said the school year would continue and exams would be taken on their original dates. Some said that was harsh, but Hermione say that it was merely the ex-Transfiguration teachers way of trying to make life as normal as possible.

It was a year of change and announcements really; With Harry committed to the position of Gryffindor quidditch captain was given to Demelza Robins; the seeker position being given once again to Ginny.

Ron is now openly dating Justin Finch-Fletchley. Their friendship started after Ron too Justin to the infirmary. It developed quickly into something else as they came out after Valentines, before the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff game. Ron's parents had come to see the game and he saw it as an opportunity to tell them. Arthur said he had known since Christmas thanks to Fred and George, but he knew better than to let the twins have their cake and eat it too. Besides, he said he had wanted to hear it from Ron before he talked about it to anyone else. Molly was stunned at first, but in true Molly style she yelled first. She was upset that Ron thought she could think she was so closed minded to reject him for being gay. She continued by saying how her own brother Fabian leaned that way. She had ended her rant by stating how a mother only wants her children to be happy, and grandchildren; and as long as he was happy she didn't mind because she had enough children that she was more than guaranteed grandchildren.

Throughout all the changes this year Hermione had stayed true to her word and had been consistently tutoring Draco on his Muggle Studies. He convinced her to have that picnic by the lake so that she could introduce him to various muggle foods. By the end of the picnic she found out that he had a very large sweet tooth but didn't care for anything spicy. During their walk back they made plans for the summer after he insisted that she take him to her favorite muggle restaurants. Things like that made her feel she made the right choice in giving him a chance, and that they had a real possibility in furthering their budding relatuionship.

Ginny's cheered loudly in Hermione's ear as Blaise made another goal; the jarring noise brought Hermione's mind back to the game where the Slytherin team was behind by sixteen goals. Across the pitch she saw Draco flitting about in search for the snitch. When he caught her eye he did a turnabout, flying close above her stands. After a quick wink he was off again, looping about the pitch. He was lucky this was the last Slytherin game of the season, Graham was not happy when he pulled stunts like that. In the midst of his gallivanting around he did not see the Hufflepuff beater as he swung a backbeat bludger his way. Gasps were heard around the stands as he plummeted to the ground, punctuated by a collected shout of 'THE PROTECTOR!' from the Hufflepuff stands. Multiple jets of light erupted from the enamored firsties wands as they tried feebly to break his fall. Unfortunately they were only able to soften it as he slammed into the ground.

Madam hooch flew over to inspect him, only to stand up and shout something to one of the players. Swiftly the player conveyed the message to Luna Lovegood in the commentary box. Hermione held her breath; sure that Luna's voice was going to project over the stand with some very bad news. Unable to stay seated she rushed to the stairs to see what happened for herself. She was halfway down the steps when she did hear Luna shout,

"DRACO BLACK HAS THE SNITCH! IN AN ATTEMPT TO PROLOUNGE THE GAME TO EARN HIS HOUSE MORE POINTS BLACK HAS PERFORMED A PLUMTON PASS. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW THAT IS WHERE THE SEEKER SCOOPS UP THE SNITCH IN HIS SLEAVE WITHOUT TOUCHING IT. THE MOMENT HE TOUCHES IT THE SNITCH IS CAUGHT AND THE GAME IS OVER. WELL FOLKS, IT SEEMS THAT BLACK GRABBED THE SNITCH AS HE FELL AND THE GAME IS TO BE CALLED; HUFFLEPUFF WINS 430 TO 420. TOO BAD FOR BLACK, IF HE HAD HELD OUT FOR JUST TWO MORE GOALS THEY WOULD HAVE WON THE MATCH.

"THE NEXT AND FINAL MATCH OF THE SEASON IS GRYFFINDOR VERSUS RAVENCLAW, UNTIL THEN WATCH OUT FOR THE NARGLES AS YOU TRAVERSE THE STEPS."

Hermione was able to breathe normally again, relived that the excitement was purely quidditch. Still she made way to the hospital wing to assess the damages. The Hufflepuffs had beaten her there and she had to pull rank as his girlfriend to get through their crowd. Annoyingly enough it worked and she was in the door. Madam Pomfrey gave her minimal fuss as she entered, too many times did she try to keep Draco away from her during her recovery, for she knew too well that it was futile to try it again. Pomfrey even told her the extent of the damages; a few cracked ribs from the bludger and a slight concussion.

Draco smiled as she neared the bed and tried to sit up, only to wince before settling back down. She knew he had been reading before she entered because he was still wearing his rectangular glasses.

"So on a scale of one to ten how worried were you for me; one being 'not worried at all, he is a big strong man' and ten being 'He can't die yet!'?" He smiled smugly at her concern.

"How about a three, 'I hope he is okay but he deserves it for playing this barbaric and stupid game.'" Her counter was met with a pout.

"That's not fair," he whined, "I know you were scared, I saw your face as I fell!"

"Enough of that, you aren't dying, your fans saw to that. The poor things are still upset that _the protector_ got hurt." Draco scowled at the term the Hufflepuff firsties have been calling him. In the beginning it was fun having a group of loyal followers, but now it was just plain annoying.

"Don't call me that! You know it bothers me." His previous pout grew as he tried to gain her sympathy. Hermione was used to his antics by now and promptly ignored the pout as she helped shift the pillow behind him to allow him to sit up.

"Aww, come off it, I think it's cute," she teased him, "plus I think it's very fitting."

"You're just biased." He sneered halfheartedly at her, a gesture of habit with no real malice.

"I thought you wanted me to be biased?" She returned his sneer with a smile.

"Well, yes, but don't call me that. I only did it because it was the right thing to do, and now they are making me start to regret it! They have no respect for my personal space! Every day another one of them is hugging on me or coming to me with their petty problems! If they had learned to respect me from fear as a first year should I wouldn't be having any of these problems!"

"Seriously it's not that bad!" Hermione huffed, knowing this line of thought would continue until she could find something to redirect it to. After a quick look around her she spotted the paper he had been reading sitting on the nightstand. "Who was the letter from?" Draco looked startled for a moment until he looked at it, suddenly remembering what he was doing before she came in.

"It's from my mum, looks like she has hired her own attorneys and found a loophole in my father's disownment papers." He picked it up to glance over it again.

"Oh," she said with surprise. "Does that mean you get to be a Malfoy again, with all it entitles?"

"No, unless the old man changes his mind I will remain a Black." After his father's legal disownment Draco was without a last name. His mother had taken pity on her only son and gifted him her maiden name, as was within her rights. It seemed now she was taking a more proactive stance against her imprisoned husband.

"I'm sorry Draco; I know you were hoping for some good news." She leaned forward to pat his shoulder, understanding that his name was as big a part of his identity as his blond hair.

"No,no," he said with a small smile, looking at her over his glasses, "It's not all bad. See here?" He pointed to a paragraph towards the middle of the letter. "This is what I was talking about, the loophole. It seems that the disownment is solely of me, and not of any heirs I produce? You know what this means? Our children will be Malfoys!" he finished triumphantly with a full blown grin, only to be met with her questioning frown.

"Our children?"

"Yes, I assumed you wanted kids?" Hermione was thrown off as he asked her this earnestly while looking directly into her eyes.

"I do want children, but who said anything about having them with you?"

"Come on," he flashed her a smug smile, "You know you want to be the mother of my very adorable babies?" it was her turn to look cross while he teased her.

"There you go, planning a future together again, and I haven't even really agreed to marry you yet!"

"We all know that's a small technicality in the long run. We could fix that right now," he wagged his eyebrows up and down suggestively, receiving a light smack on the arm. "Have you no pity? I'm injured here! Besides you know I was only joking about that last part," he waited for her to calm down before adding, "after all, with me being all laid up in the hospital wing, people would say you took advantage of me!"

"You really have no sense of self preservation!" Hermione yanked on the pillow she had previously used to prop him up, pulling it out to hit him with it. Even in his wounded state he was faster than her, grabbing her wrist to stop the attack and pull her closer.

"I learned to give that up when I decided to hang out with a Gryffindor," his voice lowered to a whisper as he pulled her in for a kiss. He knew it was really only a matter of time, because while she hadn't said an outright yes, she didn't remove the bracelet which symbolized to the wizards around her that she was as good as married. He had agreed to wait until she was ready and he meant it, and in the mean time he was selling off old possessions to save up money for a house once they graduated. He even planned to propose to her properly when the time came, with permission from her parents of course,, purebloods were a little old fashioned like that.

Pulling away from the kiss she smiled at him and said,

"Well, I suppose someone will have to look out for you then."

oOo

And that's all folks! I am so excited to finish my first multi-chapter fiction! Parts of this was written a long time ago and had to be reworked to fit the changes I made. Like that last line really was written ages ago! Is this story perfect? No, that's why I am working with betas to fine tune it. Am I happy with it? Yes, most definitely. After this all updates will be to replace current chapters with edited ones.

I must say, normally when I read a story with a side pairing I get annoyed that they take the spotlight away from the main pair, but Blaise and Ginny decided they wanted to run about in the background and show that time still moves for the other characters when the main pair isn't around. The part about Ron with Justin almost got cut in my final drafts, but I felt it was very important to the end as well. One of the other things I tried to do was incorporate many of the original characters in a way that seemed natural to the story. The only characters that I created were the young Slytherin girl with the feather earrings and the herd of Hufflepuff firsties.

For those of you that are disappointed that this story doesn't have a sex scene I apologies, it just didn't feel like it would belong. I wanted to focus on building their relationship and letting Hermione heal emotionally. Maybe I will build up the courage to break the censors/ratings and write a real sex scene for another fic, but this one wasn't it.

When I originally started this story I didn't mean to get into controversial waters about sexual abuse survivors and the gay community. Once there I found it was a sink or swim situation. I want to repeat that I do not believe that homosexual=sex offender. I also want to reach out to abuse survivors and say that this story was not about glorifying abuse, and that each person's experience with it is different and that Hermione's decision to forgive Harry does not mean that's what I expect you to personally do. I have no expectations', and only wish you a recovery of the body and soul.

The long ago imagined sequel is still floating around in my brain, but another story fought it for life and has captured my imagination. It focuses on my OTP (Dramione) as well, but will be post Hogwarts.

As always, until the last chapter is replaced feel free to comment on things that you feel I rushed over or forgot to add. (And while I love hearing you loved it; tell me why you loved it so I can continue to produce quality work!)


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